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HISTORICAL RECORD

TO THE CLOSE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

Motkl^n^ Couttttr^

NEW YORK.

ILLUSTRATED.

Edited by Arthur S. Tompkins.

NYACK, N. Y.

VAN DEUSEN & JOYCE, PUBLISHERS

1902.

77^7 •

PRESS OF

Star Publishing Company of Nvack, N. Y,

1902.

PREFACE.

The essential pre-reqiiisite of a rational patriotism is an intelligent
acquaintance with the history of one's country. Macanley, the historian,
has said that the history of a country is best told in a record of the lives
of its people. To supply a means towards making that acquaintance
through all available sources is the cherished object of this work. Hence
the manifest interest of our citizens demand a clearer record of the early
days of this part of southern New York than we now possess. There-
fore, in the following pages it is designed to give a complete narrative —
m as few words and as simple form as possible — relating to the early
liistory, with a brief sketch of the character, habits and religious views
of the aborigines and particularly the names, occupancy, changes, organ-
ization and progress of the civil and religious bodies of the county of
IJocklaud from its first settlement up to the present time.

The history of what is now the county of Rockland, formerly part of
the county of Orange, and the early history of this county after its sep-
ai-ation from Orange county is as interesting as that of any county in the
State. It is rich and teeming with events of the Revolutionary period,
which should be read with the keenest interest by all who are to-day
enjoying the fiiiits of the sacrifices and achievements of that period.
This county is one of the five or six coimties of the State that are directly
and closely identified with the great struggle for independence. The
British foi'ces and the Continental Anuy camped and marched and
fought over much of the ten-itory of Rockland county.

In the following pages we have endeavored to give an accurate
description of the important part which this county has had in tlie build-
ing and preservation of the Republic. For the historical part of the
work valuable information was selected from the works of eminent ^vrit-
ers. With a due acknowledgement for these historical facts thus

PREFACE.

selected, for the "Bench and Bar" of the county, by Hon. Alouzo
"Wheeler; the Medical Profession, by N. B. Bayley, M. D.; the different
to^viis in the county, by J. Bogert Sufleni, Esq., District Attorney
Thomas H. Lee, Aaron VanKeuren, Esq., E. H. Fenton, Esq., Emma K.
Odell, Capt. Charles M. O'Blenis and others, for the valuable informa-
tion of the religious bodies of the county, furnished by the various
clmrcli officials, and for the many incidents of interest not hei'etofore
published, given by our venerable and esteemed citizens, thanks are
hereby rendered.

I have devoted as much of my time and attention to the general
supervision of the editorial department of the work as my other duties
Would permit, and with a consciousness that the greatest vigilance can-
not wholly e.xchule errors, this work is respectfully submitted.

Nyack, July 15th, 1902. -

ARTHUR S. TOMPKINS.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE I.
A GENERAL SURVEY.
The Subject — Location and Surroundings — Prominent Features of the
Landscape — The Stories They Tell — Boundaries — Principal Industries
— Poi^ulat ion IT

CHAPTER II.
PREHISTORIC CURRENTS.
Geolog-ical Formation — Erratic P.oulders and Other Drift Deposits —
Scratched Surfaces — The Palisades a River of Lava — Features of the
Landscape 24

CHAPTER III.

DISCOVERY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.
Navigators Who Came Before Henry Hudson — The Half Moon's Arrival
in the Tappan Zee — The First Red Man Slain — Early Traders — Era
of Colonization Begun 30

CHAPTER IV.

THE ABORIGINES.
Tribes of the Lower Hudson Valley— The Tapjjans and Haverstraws—
Characteristics and Mode of Life — Bountifully Supplied by Nature —
Principles of Government and Evidences of Religion 3S

CHAPTER V.

INDIAN WARS.

Encroachments of the Dutch — The Colony at Vriesendael — Consequences
of Stealing an Indian's Beaver Coat — Tappans Driven from Home by
Jlohawks— Massacres at Pavonia by Dutch Soldiers— Allied Tribes
Take Revenge — Vriesendael Destroyed 50

CHAPTER VI.

APPORTIONING THE LANDS.
Second Attempt at Colonization— The English Seize the Province— The
Christian I'atented Lands of Haverstraw— Town of Orange— .\ppor-
tioniug the Lands — Beginnings of Government — List of Pioneers— Life
in the Wilderness — Colonel MaeGregorie BO

CHAPTEE VII.

COLONIAL GOVERNMENT.
Courts and Court Houses— Precincts Established— Names of Officers and
Representatives— First Roads— Colonial Prices — Religious Influences
— Family Customs— General and Local Laws— Public Improvement.s —
French and Indian War — Militia System 70

CONTENTS.
CHAPTEIl VIII.

THE ARENA OF STRIFE.
The Oraugetown Kesolutions — Fortifying' the Hiylilands — The Militia —
Companies Raised for the Continental Line — Sons of Oran<;fe in the
Invasion of Canada — The Shore Gua«l'— Otiieers of Companies — South-
ern Orange Bears tlie Rrunt — ^The First Alarm — " Battle of Haver-
straw " — A Naval Fight — Duty Calls — Activities of the Tories 90

CHAPTEE IX.

THE FALL OF THE HIGHLAND FORTS.
Re-AppcaraiK'O of the Enemy in the Spring — Militia Called Out — Reluetant
to Obey — British Plans — Sir Henry Clinton's Armada Arrives — Put-
nam Deceived and Governor Clinton Overwhelmed — Heroic Resistance
by the Sons of Orange and Ulster 110

CHAPTEE X.

" THE FORT'S OUR OWN."
New Defences in the Highlands — Massacre at " Old Ta])i)an " — Petition
from Citizens — Stony I'oint Seized by the British — ilain Continental
Army Arrives — Stony I'oint Stormed and Recaptured by Wayne's
Light Infantry — The Battle Described — Fate of the Lady Washington
— The Fort Abandoned by the Americans — Evacuated by the British.. 121

CHAPTEE XL

THE WAGES OF TREASON.
General Arnold Assigned to Command West Point — He Conspires to
Betray the Fortress — Intercoxirse With .Josliiia Hett Smith — His Mid-
night Meeting With Ma.ior Andre — At the Smith Mansion — .\rrest of
Andre — Plight of Arnold — Smith Acquitted — Court Martial and Execu-
tion of the Spy 138

CHAPTEE XII.

SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION.
The Last Campaign — The French Army — Members of the Haverstraw
Regiment of Militia — The Continentals — Members of Capt. Robert
■Tolmston's Company — Of Capt. Amos Hutchins' Company — Officers of
. the Orangetown Regiment 138

CHAPTEE XIII.

CLOSE OF THE WAR.
Readjustment of County Lines — Increase of Population — Militia Com-
panies Before the Civil War — Regiments Organized During the Civil
War — Transportation — County Officers 16s

CHAPTER XIV.— Rockland County Medical Profession, 182. CHAPTER XV.—
Bench and Bar, 329. CHAPTER XVI.— Town of Haverstraw, 373. CHAP-
TER XVII.— Town of Orangetown, 345. CHAPTER XVIIL— Town of
Clarkstown, 415. CHAPTER XIX.— Town of Ramapo, 470. CHAPTER
XX.— Town of Stony Point, 553.

PART I.

HISTORICAL.

HISTORY

Rockland County.

CHAPTEE I.

A GENERAL SURVEY.

The Subject — Location and Siirroiinding-s — Prominent Features of the
Landscape — The Stories They Tell — Boundaries — Princiiial Industries — Popu-
lation.

THE County of Rockland, in the State of New York, is the most
southern of the tier of counties on the west bank of the Hudson
River. Triangular in fonn, its boundaries on two sides are merely
straight geographical lines, drawn by the hand of man, but the boundaiy
marks of tlie third side were set by the Almighty Creator, and adorned
with many of the most beautiful lineaments in nature. Frontetl by the
widest reaches of the river and buttressed by a remarkable chain of hills,
with the Palisades on one hand and the battlements of the Highlands on
the other, the shore of Rockland County has a character distinct and pic-
turesque. More precisely, the river side of the county is bounded on the
south by the State line of jS'ew Jersey and on the north by Poplopen's
kill, which, where it issues from a deep ravine to unite with the river,
passes between two famous fortified places of the Revolution, Fort Clin-
ton and Fort Montgomery. The significance of the name chosen by the
fathers for their county is apparent upon viewing the wonderful escarp-
ments of trap-rock that give the riglit bank of the lower Hudson the ap-
pearance of a far-reaching fortress. But behind this I'ough exterior, on
the other side of the adamantine curtain, are broad acres of pleasant
plains and gently rolling country, so that full two-thirds of the total sur-
face of the coimty is fanning land. The thitnders of the lofty Dunder-
berg and its rugged companions, which so alarmed the early Dutch nav-
igators of the "River of the Mountains," have no terrors for those who
dwell in these peaceful valleys. Against the "Mountain of Thunder"
the summer showers seem to break, as white-crested billows dash furious-
ly against a rocky isle at sea, and the first warning of a coming tempest
is given by the reverberations from its sides. Have you not heard of the
"little bulbous-buttoned Dutch goblin, in trunk hose and sugar-loaf hat,

18 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

with speaking trumpet in his hand, which, they say, keeps the Dunder-
berg," and how "in stonny weather, in the midst of tlie turmoil, the river
captains can hear him giving orders in low Dutch for the piping np of a
fresh gust of wind, or the rattling off of another thunderclap?" And,
"sometimes he has been seen suiTOunded by a crew of little imps in broad
breeches and short doublets, tumbling head over heels in tlie rack and
moist, and playing a thousand gambols in the air, or buzzing like a thou-
sand flies about Antliony's Nose," at which times, 'tis said, the "Iuutv-
scuri'y" of the storm was always greatest.

Geographically the Palisades have their beginning in the town of
Ilaverstraw, where High Tor and Little Tor (or Spire) are like knots in
the head of the chain. With their feet in the river, they extend south-
ward for thirty miles or more, but have their greatest magnitude within
the limits of the ToA\m of Clarkstown, in that titanic buttress known as
Hook Mountain, behind which, all unsuspected from the river, nestles,
lovely and tranquil, Rockland Lake. Here and there the great wall is
cut by gorges, as at Piennont (formerly Tappan Lauding), where the
Hparkill flows out, and through these openings the river traveler gets
glimpses and suggestions of what lies beyond. The ridge is narrow, be-
ing in some places hardly half a mile mde. At its feet, on the river
side, are heaped the debris of ages upon ages, in the form of rocks that
have crumbled from the cliffs above, in some places overg^o^vn with
stunted trees and shiiibbery or climbing vines. On the western side
the slope, for the most part, is gentle, covered with rich soil and wooded.
In height the Palisades exceed four hundred feet on the average, but the
most elevated knob on the Hook is 668 feet above the river. The Dutch
called it Verdrietigh Hoeck — Tedious or Vexation Point — because here
they expected to meet adverse winds that would detain their vessels for
a long time in this part of their course. Curious, stupendous and impres-
sive, the Palisades are one of the wonders of the Western World.

In front of Rockland County the Hudson river expands into two
broad lakes, the lower on© called the Tappan Zee, and the upper one
Haverstraw Bay. They are separated by Croton Point, a projection
from the eastern shore nearly two miles in length, at the moiith of the
Croton river. In former times it was kno^\^l as Teller's Point, and by
the Indians called "Se-nas-qiia," in honor of Sarah, wife of William
Teller, who purchased the valuable estate from them for a barrel of rum
and twelve blankets. Each of the great bays is from two to three miles

A GENERAL, SURVEY. 19

across, and they constitute the broadest portions of the Hudson. At the
head of Haverstraw Bay, on opposite sides, are Stony and Veqjlanck's
Points, and a little farther north, where the stream narrows again, are
the abrupt mountain peaks which form the southern gate of the High-
lands. Near the northern extremity of the county is lona Island, be-
tween which and Anthony's Nose the river is not more than three-
eighths of a mile \vide. But the channel is deep, and so swift is the cur-
rent that the reach is called ''The Race." The island was fifty years ago
the private estate of Dr. C. W. Grant, who, coming from Newburgh,
engaged here in the extended propagation of choice fruits. His vine-
yards covered twenty acres; his fruit trees were thousands in number;
with eleven propagation houses, he produced plants that were called for
from all parts of the country. The celebrated lona Grape originated
here. The Indian name of the island was "Man-a-ha-wagli-kin;" the
present name ("I-own-a-Island") was bestowed by Dr. Grant. Recently
purchased by the United States Government, the tract is now being
equipped as an ammunition station for the Navy; extensive magazines
and other buildings are in course of erection.

The Minisceongo, at Grassy Point, and the Sparkill, at Piermont, are
the only streams of importance which enter the Hudson from Rockland
County, but the interior is well watered by rivers or creeks that find
their way to the sea in other directions, notably the Hackensack, which
has one of its sources in Rockland Lake; the Passaic, the Pearl, the Ram-
apo and the Mahwah. The largest body Avithin the confines of the coun-
ty is Rockland Lake. Situated at an elevation above the Hudson of 150
feet, separated from the river only by a narrow ridge of mountains, and
surrounded on nearly every side by shores steep and rugged, it is both
picturesque and remarkable. In form an irregular ellipse, it covers five
liundred acres, being about half a mile in length and three-quarters of
a mile at the widest part. Along the eastern margin are extensive ice-
houses, and the ice harvest in Avinter provides employment for many
hands. The blocks of ic« begin their journey to the metropolis by be-
ing lowered down an inclined plane to wharves at the river, Avhence they
are transported by barges. Portage Lake and Shepherd's Pond, in the
western corner of the county; Lake Antrim, near Suffem, and Highland
Lake, in the northerly angle, and the lake at Congers are the only other
considerable bodies of water in Rockland.

No other reach of river or stretch of country is so filled with mem-

20 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

orics of the long stmgglo for American Independence as is the Rockhnid
County shore of the Hudson. Every' bokl headland, sheltered cove and
iiniting beach has contributed something to the history of Amei'ica, or
can tell a story of romance or tradition. The Highland forts speak rev-
erently the names of the patriot fanners who died in their defence. Ev-
ery stone and breastwork in what wa.s finally an impregnable chain of
fortifications extending from Stony Point northward to Plum Point,
was a monument of humble, disinterested devotion by the standing sol-
diers of this valley, who without hope of pay reared them and defied their
oppressors to take them. The batteries, forts and redoiibts which they
constructed, the booms and chains which they stretched from shore to
shore, saved the States from being cut asunder and separately conquered.
The very iron in the chains that literally bound together the two sections
of the young republic was taken out of the veins of the adjacent coun-
ties. Against Stony Point Mad Anthony Wayne led his Continentals
to victory, first assembling them in the passes behind Bear Mountain and
the Dunderberg. In the little cove on the north side of the rocky pro
montory was the King's Ferry landing, the ferry being the connecting
link between New England and the colonies west and south of the Hud-
son. Here the French army crossed when going to Yorkto\vn, and wlion
it returned. To Treason Hill came Arnold and Andre to mature their
plan for the surrender of West Point, and yonder, where the Haverstraw
mountain range comes down to meet the tide, Andre, escorted by Joshua
Hett Smith, landed by a small boat from the British sloop-of-war Vul-
ture. In the thicket close by he met his "Gustavris," and with him con-
spired until tlie day broke; when it being too late for the British Adju-
tant-General to return to the vessel unobser\'ed by the shore guard, ho
-was persuaded by the traitor to accept protection until the following
night. Disregarding the orders of his General, Andre passed within the
American lines with his "protector," and never came out alive. Forty-
one years later another British man-of-war came up the river to the Tap-
pan Zee, and a commission sent by the British Government, debarking
at Sneden's Landing, proceeded to Tappan, where they exhimied the
bones of Andre and carried them back to England.

At Verplanck's Point occurred the grandest international military
review in the historj^ of the nation. On August 31, 1782, for the pur-
pose of recei^^ng and tendering a welcome to the French anny, then on
its return from Virginia, the forces constituting the Main Continental

A GENERAL, SURVEY. 21

army moved by land and water from their separate cantonments and sta-
tions in and near the Highlands and encamped at Verplanck's Point.
The American forces numbered abont eight thousand men, and for the
first time since the beginning of the war were decently uniformed, well
armed, properly equipped and camped in tents of regular model. Six
years of service in the field had made them trained veterans. All the
tents were immediately decorated with laurel, evergreens and branches
of trees, and the camp presented a picturesque and beautiful appearance.
The French ti-oops arrived at Stony Point on September 14, being salut-
ed with cannonry and hailed with cheers by their allies on the farther
shore. After crossing in boats furnished by the Americans, the French
column marched through the American lines, receiving every mark of
honor from Washington's men, and went into camp a short distance
away. General Washington and his officers reviewed the French army
on October 1, and the next day the French officers reviewed the Ameri-
can forces. A fortnight later eight battalions picked from the Continen-
tal troops were maneuvred before the officers of the two armies. An
eye-witness recorded that several of the French officers, who had seen
troops of different European nations, bestowed encomiums and applause
on our army, saying that they had seen no troops superior to the Amer-
icans. The Americans bestowed every courtesy and attention upon the
French soldiers, who had aided them in throwing off the British yoke.
On October 22 the French legions marched away for Boston, and there
embarked for home.

Until 1798 the territory now embraced in Rockland County formed
part of Orange. By act of the Legislature, Rockland was then set off
and bounds established as follows : "All that tract of land in the county
of Orange lying northwest of a line beginning at the mouth of Poplo-
pen's kill, on Hiulson's river, and running from thence to the southeast-
ermost corner of the farm of Stephen Sloat, and then along the south
bounds of this farm to the southwest comer thereof, and then on the
same course to the bounds of the State of New Jersey, shall be and is
hereby erected into a separate county, and shall be called and known by
the name of Orange;" and, "all that part of the said county of Orange
lying southward of the above described line shall be erected into a sepa-
rate county, and shall be called and known by the name of Rockland."
The Act of April 3, 1801, gives the line between the two counties as
"from the middle of Hudson's river west to the mouth of Poplopen's

22 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

kill, and from thenc« on a direct course to the east end of the mill dam
now or late of Michael Weiman across the Eamapough river, and from
thence a direct covirse to the twenty-mile stone standing in the said divi-
sion line between this State and the State of New Jersey." The original
Orange County was one of the first twelve into which the Province was
divided in 1C83, and extended "from the limits or bounds of East and
West Jersey, on the west side of Hudson's river, along the said river to
Murderer's creek, or bounds of the coiinty of Ulster; and westward into
the woods as far as the Delaware river." The act which separated Rock-
land from Orange also set off the towns of New Windsor, Newburgh,
AVallkill, Montgomery and Deerpark from the county of Ulster and an-
nexed them to the county of Orange. The history of Rockland County,
therefore, in Colonial and Revolutionary^ times, was identical with that
of Orange. The first town or precinct to be organized in the county was
the town of Orange (Orangeto^\^l), in 1686, and in 1719 the precinct of
llaverstraw was formed.

The town divisions of the county are now five in number, namely:
Orangetown, Clarkstown, Haverstraw, Ramapo and Stony Point. The
county capital is at New City, in the town of Clarkstown, and the largest
centers of population are Nyack and Haverstraw villages. Although
Rockland County contains no incorporated city, there are a large num-
ber of villages, for the most part handsomely laid out and kept, the cen-
ters for many fine estates. Omng to the proximity of the metropolis,
it is convenient and agreeable for many gentlemen whose place of bus
iness is in the city to have their home in this county. Facilities for trav-
el and transportation are supplied by the river and a number of railroads.
Regailar lines of steamboats call daily at the principal river towns. The
West Shore Railroad passes through the county north and south, between
Tappan and lona Island, and by tunnel through the Haverstraw moun-
tain range; north of Haverstraw the line follows the river shore.Other
roads are the Erie and the Piermont branch, the Northern Railroad of
New Jersey, with Nyack as the nort.hem terminus, and the New Jersey
and New York, tenninating at Haverstraw.

One of the largest industries of the county, brick making, has its
center on the shore of Haverstraw Bay, where great beds of clay are
found overtopped ^vith sand. For tliree miles the river is lined ^\^th
brick sheds and yards, and the face of nattire has been sadly scarred
by long continued excavating for material. Haverstraw has l)een the

A GENERAL SURVEY. 23

leader in this industry for tlie whole country, both in invention and pro-
duction. At Garnerville are the Rockland print works, one of the larg-
est establishments of the kind in the State. The prosperity of the group
of villages on this bay can be judged in part from the growth of the vil-
lage of West Havei"straw, which in the last decade increased from a pop-
ulation of 180 to 2,078. The section shows marked improvement in its
residential features.. In Havei-straw village this is particularly notice-
able in the vicinity of the West Shore railroad station. Another large
industry of the county is at Tomkins Cove, where immense limestone
deposits and fine facilities for shipping are found in combination. The
extensive business of the Tomkins Cove Stone Company, begiin here in
1837, mth its quarries, kilns, crushing-works and barges, gives employ-
ment to many hands. Xyack, originally the principal market town and
commercial port for the co\inty, with turnpikes extending into the back
country, has become in the last half centuiy an important manufactur-
ing center, with a variety of products, notably shoes, boats and man-
ufactures of iron. At Ramapo and Hillbum are large ii'on works, and
at Pearl River the Dexter folding machine works.

The population of the county increased from 35,162, in 1890, to 38,-
298, at the last census, in 1900. In 1880 the population was 27,G90.
The complete figures are as follows :

1900. 1890.

Clarkstown, including upper Xyack village 6,305 5,216

Upper Nyack village 516 668

Haverstraw town, including Haverstraw and West

Haverstraw villages 9,874 9,079

Haverstraw village 5,935 5,070

West Haverstraw village 2,079 180

Orangetown, including Nyack, Piermont and South

Nyack villages 10,456 10,343

Nyack village 4,275 4,111

Piermont village 1,153 1,219

South Nyack 1,601 1,496

Ramapo town, including Hillburn and Suffem vil-
lages 7,502 5,910

Hillbum village 824

Suffem village 1,619

Stony Point town 4,161 4,614

24 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER IT.

PREHISTORIC CURRENTS.
Geologfioal Formation — Erratic Boulders and Other Drift Deposits —
Scrat-clied Surfaces — The Palisades a River of Lava — Features of the Land-
scape.

IN regard to the geological history of the section, Prof. Mather, who
made an official survey and report, for the State of New York, con-
sidered it evident that a vast inland sea once occupied the Hudson
and St. Lawrence valleys, since the periods of the drift deposits. The
materials deposited from the waters in that area during a considerable
period of time are such as we might, he said, expect in such a body of
water, with a moderate flow tlu"ough its channels of communication with
the ocean, and liaving the general contour of its bottom and shores the
same as we now find the topographical features of the country to be. The
water level has changed in this area, and as the ocean maintained its
equilibrium, this vast tract of country had become elevated in mass with
little relative change of height, but to an absohite height of tliree hun-
dred to one thousand feet above the former level. This elevation had
probably been effected in a short time, and caused strong currents to flow
through the channels, commimicating with the ocean, and through
which the watere had drained to their present levels, depositing beds of
sand, gravel, pebbles and boulders in the eddies. The coarse deposits of
gravel and pebbles, and even boulders, in the valle}^ near the nan'ow
passes of the Highlands, and wherever the current was confined, seemed
strongly to favor tlie view that the elevation by which these formations
were raised above the level of the sea was not so slow in operation as that
of the elevation of some other lands, and it may have been sudden.

It has long been supposed, continues Professor Mather, that a great
lake formerly existed above the Highlands, and many speculations have
b(>en made concerning it, and the rending of the mountain so as to drain
it off; btit the quarternary and drift deposits found in the valleys indi-
cate that tlio channel through the Highlands existed nearly the same
during these two epochs, as it is at present; so that from these circum-
stances it is known that it has been an open channel of communication
between the Atlantic and St. LawTence basins during and since these
two p(>riods. Most of the rocks in place in the Hudson valley when un-
covered from the drift that covers them in many places, show their sur-
faces to have been gTound off, as if by tlie attrition of heavy moving-
masses of rocks, and are scratched and grooved.

PREHISTORIC CURRENTS. 25

Prof. Matlier found two classes of facts that afford evidence of a
sliifting of the position of rocks that can be referred to the g(^ofiTaphical
period, when the formations were being elevated. One of these is a
fault in some clay and gravel beds on th^ west bank of the river, where
the clay and sand horizontally stratified were separated by a vertical line
on the surface exposed, each abutting against the other, with little dis-
turbance of either, and covered by beds of coarse gravel. The other
class is where the slate rocks on the east side of the Hudson valley had
been ground down, smoothed, deeply grooved and scratched along the
edges, and since the action that had prodiiced these effects the masses of
slate had been shifted a few inches in a vertical direction by a slight
fault, so that the grooves and scratches of the lower part- of the mass were
continued qiiite \\]> to the part that had been elevated. This shift of
position, or slight fault, must have been subsequent to the period when
the scratches were made.

The drift deposits spoken of are composed of fragments of all the
pre-existing rocks exposed to the action of the causes that have contrib-
uted to their transportation. They are mostly coarse, composed of
blocks, bouldei-s, pebbles, gTavel and sand, sometimes loose, but fre-
quently aggregated by ergiltaceous matter that rendei-s a pick neces-
sary to dig it.

The boulders and blocks are scattered not only over the valleys,
plains and hills of moderate elevation, but are found on the peaks of high
Uioimtains. The materials of the drift deposits are often far distant,
Uiit only from the hills and mountains and every known locality from
wJiich they may have been derived, but are often separated from their
parent sources by numerous plains, broad valleys, deep lakes or arms of
the sea. The valley of the Hudson river through the Highlands shows
boulders, blocks and pebbles of all the rocks of the Hudson, Mohawk and
Champlain ^'alleys that would not easily grind up by attrition. Tlie
plain at West Point, which belongs in part to the drift, is an instructive
example of these deposits. In the gravel, pebble and boulder beds at
that place, says Prof. Mather, a person may collect a suite nearly com-
plete of all the rocks, and many of their mineral and fossil remains, that
are found in place for a ilistance of two hundred and fifty miles to the
north. The valley of Smith's Clove contains boulders of conglomerate
like that of Skunnemuuk mount-ain; of granite, gneiss, etc., like the
Highlands; grits and slates, like those of the Hudson valley, and pebbles

26 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

of the Potsdam sandstone. Bonlders of other rocks are found in this
clove, but those of the vicinity are most numerous.

The well developed deposit of drift spoken of as being at West Pomt
extends along the gTavel terrace from the base of Crow Nest to three
miles below West Point, and also on the opposite bank of the Hudson,
one-fourth to one-half mile from the river. Specimens of this drift can
all be referred to their proper strata, and all are evidently and un-
doubtedly derived from a northwardly source. The boulders and erratic
blocks are especially numerous in the valley on the northern side of the
Highlands, as if stopped there by an ancient shore. Stones of many
tons weight are not uncommon in the high valleys of the Highlands.

Examples of scratched surfaces may be seen on the top of the moun-
tain between Grassy Point and the iron works at Smith's Clove, a little
west of the old turnpike gate, and on ridges farther west. On the road
leading south from Haverstraw over the monntflins of trap and in return-
ing between High Tor and Little Tor — all these gorges are water worn
and abraded where imcovered by the soil that protected the rock from
<lecomposition or slow disintegi-ation. The size of the furrows varies in
the same and different localities. Sometimes they are the finest
scratches; in a few cases they are deep troughs or furrows. In direc-
tions the scratches conform to those in which currents would flow.

The Palisades have been alluded to. From Tappan creek south-
ward the trap range does not present the "mural castellated" front like
the Palisades south of there, but it fonns a more gentle swell, in some
places steep, but of generally moderate accliWty, extending back one or
two miles from the shore, with red sandstone exposed in numerous old
quarries and small ravines to about two miles north of Nyack, where the
trap ranges to the northeast, to Verdrietige Hook. The range gradually
increases in height from Bergen Point to the Xew Jersey line, where
the altitude is 539 feet. From there the height of the hills is less across
Orangetown and the southern part of C'larkstown, to two miles north of
Xyack, where the chain sweeps around to the northeast, at the north end
of Tappan Bay, and forms the Hook, which is 608 feet high. The lofti-
est point of all is High Tor, at Haverstraw, 850 feet. From here the
general heights of the summits depress to the west and southwest, until
the formation becomes merged in or falls below the red sandstone level
along the base of the Highland range.

It is now universally conceded, according to Prof. Mather, that the

PREHISTORIC CURRENTS. 27

trappean rocks show in themselves and in the effects produced by their
protrusion between and through the strata of other rocks, undoubted evi-
dence of ha\ang been at the time of their protrasion in a highly heated
state. If the question were still open to discussion, the facts that may
be seen by a careful exploration of the shore between Hoboken and Stony
Point, where trap-rock dykes have cut through the strata and overflowed
on the top, would afford a mass of evidence sufficient to convince the most
skeptical on this subject and demonstrate that the Palisades and the rest
of that range of trappean rocks are ancient lavas that have flowed through
the rocky fissures in dykes while this part of the continent was still be-
neath the waters of the ocean.

Two places on the shore near Verdrietige Hook shoAV appearances of
enormous dykes of trap-rock penetrating through the sandstone, from
two hundred to six hundred feet wide. A mile south, trap has penetrat-
ed laterally between the sandstone. Some of the sandstone is almost as
hard and compact as jasper, some is purplish red, some is gray, and the
trap itself in places is composed in part of the materials of the sandstone.
At another locality, about two miles below Haverstraw, on the shore a
trap dyke of one foot wide, a fault, and a layer of trap intruded between
the strata can be seen. Mr. Cassells, a State geologist, observed one lo-
cality west of north of New City where the trap-rock next the sandstone
had a distinct columnar structure.

The red sandstone region of Rockland County is referred to in the
reports of the State geologists as a fine agricultural district. (The red
sandstone, which begins at Stony Point on the north, extends through
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, into North Carolina
on the south.) The land in general is rolling, with a rich, sandy loam,
resulting from the disintegration of the subjacent sandstone and its asso-
ciated shales, marls and limestones. The strata are in general slightly
inclined, one to three degTces to the westward, but near the granite rocks
of the Grassy Point neighborhood they dip southwardly at a consider-
able angle, ranging from fifteen to forty-five degrees. This rock occu-
pies that portion of Rockland County from Grassy Point along the base
of the Highlands to New Jersey and eastwai-d to the Hudson river, but
a portion of its area is covered over by trap-rocks. In color it varies
from chocolatc^brown through brick-red and gray to white. The useful
varieties are the gray and the red conglomerate sandstone, which for
many years were quarried extensively in this county.

28 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Prof. Rogers, in a geological report for the State of Xew Jersey, in
considering the sources of this formation of sandstone, says, "that this in-
teresting group of rocks possesses in a striking degree the features of a
noble river, taking its rise in the primary region of the Southern States,
and meeting the ocean probably at and beyond the outlets of the Raritan
and the Hudson."

The limestone formation of Rockland County is well known. It
skirts the shore for a mile or more, beginning on the north side of Stony
Point, and extends two miles west of Grassy Point, and then disappears
beneath the red sandstone formation. Along the west side of the mai-sli
behind Stony Point it is also to be observed. The stone has long been
quamed extensively by the Tomkins Cove Stone Company.

The west and northwest parts of this county belong to the primary
region. Tlic rocks consist of gneiss and horn blendic gneiss, granite,
sienite, limestone, hornblende, serpentine, augite and trappean rocks.
Stony Point is composed of gneissoid rocks, except the northwest point
of the peninsula, which is a granite rock. About two acres of the penin-
sula are covered by the rock, to an estimated mean depth of forty-five
feet above high-water mark. Gneiss is the prevailing rock in the High-
lands, but granite is abundant.

Iron ore deposits are niimerous in the Highland range of mountains.
A bed of titaniferous ore is situated on the east side of Bear Hill; mag-
netic ore at the lower landing at Fort Montgomery. The Forest of Dean
mine, west of Fort ^Montgomery, was opened about 1701. Many open-
ing's have been made in the town of Stony Point, but the ore, with few
exceptions, has not been foimd in a profitable state. The Ilanssan Clever
Mine, which is on the same vein as the Forest of Dean IMines, was work-
ed for many years, beginning before the Revolution. Some of the
iron for the chains which stretched across the river during the war was
mined here, and at the Cedar Pond Furnace, clase by, it was made into
proper shape. Cannon balls were also manufactured at these works.

Abovit thirty different kinds of minerals have been discovered in this
county, but mostly in minute quantities. The mountain ranges have
been thoroughly explored in the lioj^e of striking coal or precious ores.
As has been shown, the principal contents of the natural storehouses of
the county are clay, sand, sandstone, granite and trap-rock.*

The topography of the county is varied. While the northern part

* The foregoing article was mainly compiled front N. Y. State reports.

z
u
o

M
o
o
W

PREHISTORIC CURRENTS. 29

may be described as I'ugged, the central and southern portions are level
or gently rolling. In the northern part of Stony Point town are several
of the high peaks of the Highlands, as the Dnnderbcrg, Bear Hill, 1,350
feet; Limp Mountain, Pingyp Mountain and Black Mountain. The por-
tion of this to^vn suitable for agricidture is small. Prominent features
of the river side of this \o\n\ are lona Island, Caldwell's Landing (or
Jones's Point), Stony Point and Grassy Point. Poplopen's kill, at the
northern apex, is fonned from the outlets of a number of ponds, Poplo-
pen's, Round, Bull, Long, CranbeiTv and others. In the southorn part
of the town several streams flow from the hills and form Minisceongo
creek, whose sei-pentine mndings may be seen behind Grassy Point.
This stream is navigable for a distance and is used by vessels engaged in
the brick industry. A cascade in the village of Stony Point is called
Plora (originally Florus) Falls, and the same name is given to the stream.
The Rockland Print Works are situated on the banks of the Minisceongo,
at Garnerville, in the to^vn of Ha^'erstraw. The town of Clarkstown is
separated from Haverstraw to^vn by the Haverstraw mountain range,
through which are the passes known as the Long Clove and Short Clove,
with roads connecting the river shore and the interior. In the tovm of
Clarkstown are the headwaters of the Hackensack, one of the sources of
the river being Rockland Lake. Southeasterly through Orangetown
flows the Sparkill, the only stream to pass the Palisades. Through tliis
opening the Erie Railroad was first built to the Hudson river, having its
terminus at Piemiont. The western part of the town of Ramapo is
mountainous. In a southeasterly direction through the township flows
the Ramapo river, entering the Passaic near Pompton. It receives the
outlets of numerous mountain lakes. The tenn Ramapo was originally
given to the entire district, rather than to the river alone, and meaning
"many ponds." The Ramapo valley and the connecting Smith's Clove
were much used in Revolutionary times as a route for military purposes.
I'he central and eastern part of tlic town of Ramapo is a fine agricultural
country, through which flow the Mahwah and Saddle I'ivcrs and head-
waters of the Hackensack.

30 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER III.

DISCOVERY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.
Navig-ators Who Came Before Henry Hudson — The Half Moon's Arrival in
the Ta.jipan Zee — The First Red Man Slain — Early Traders — Era of Coloniza-
ton Begun.

THE history of Rockland County, so far as it is known to us, begins
witli the fourteenth day of September, 1609. It is the date of the
coming of Henry Hudson to the shores of the Tappan Zee. The
native lookouts who were peering down from their mountain palisades
that morning discovered a strange sail speeding s'wiftly up the wide river
before a strong southeast wind. The aboriginal American had waited
long for the coming of his European brother. For thousands of years
people liad dwelt here imknown to the other half of the world. The
Cave Dwellers had lived, built their curious habitations, reared their
families, worked out their plans of life and passed away. The Mound
Builders, coming up ages afterward, ^\'ith a still more advanced civiliza-
tion, with a better idea of the chief end of man, and mth better methods
and higher purposes, built houses for their families, temples for their
God and fortifications against their enemies. These people may have
lived up to the best light they were permitted to receive, but for some
reason they perished from the earth, leaving only their monuments
to show that they had existed. Every trace of their culture had been
lost, their successors had fallen back into intellectual darkness, and men
and affairs in this land had returned almost to the place of beginning;
for in the eternal plan of the universe the time had not yet come. Who
can tell what the course of empire had been, to what heights civilization
had not risen, or affirm that America had not had her Babylons and
Ninevehs? The Chinese discoverers had come and gone a thousand
jears before. Then the Norsemen had come. In the spring of the year
1000 Lief Erickson, sailing from Greenland, reached Labrador and ex-
plored the coast as far southward as ^Massachusetts, in which section he
continued for a year. It is even said that he found Narragansett Bay,
and sailed on until he arrived in New York harbor. Other adventurous
navigators of the same nationality following Erickson's lead, in subse-
(juent years, explored the coast as far south as Virginia; others planted
colonies in New Foundland and Nova Scotia. Not comprehending,
however, the trvie importance of their discoveries, they believed the
country to be only a part of Greenland bending around an ann of the
sea. For four or five hundred years the Norsemen came and departed.

DISCOVERY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY. 31

occasionally establishing small colonies, but, as the ultimate result, fail-
ing or being unable to take full advantage of the prize they had found.
Their settlements disappeared, and once again the red savage represent-
ed the highest enlightenment of a continent. And the Arabians came
also. Eight brothers of that nationality, setting sail from Lisbon, pre-
\nous to 1149, swore they would not return till they had crossed to the
farther shore of the iinknown sea. They continued on until they arrived
at an island inhabited by people of lofty stature and red skin.

The Welsh had also their opportunity. In Oardoc's "Historic of
Canbria" it is related that Madoc, son of Owen Gwynnedt, Prince of
Wales, with a niunber of vessels, set sail westward in 1170, and after a
voyage of several weeks landed in a strange coimtrj', totally different
both in its inhabitants and productions from Europe. There they estab-
lished a permanent settlement. After a time Madoc, returning to
Wales, fitted out ten ships and fonned a large company ready to go wth
him to the new country. In what part of the hemisphere they estab-
lished their new home, history does not reveal; both Virginia and Mex-
ico have been mentioned in connection with this expedition, and no one
knows the fate of the colony.

From almost every country of Europe came navigators to the new
world. A Pole, John Scolvus, in the ser\nce of Denmark, in 1476, vis-
ited the coast of Labrador. About the same period Xicolo Zeni left
Venice on a voyage, avowedly in quest of new lands, and not in search
of a new route to India. He spent a year among the islands of the West,
and on his second voyage was joined by his brother, Antonio. The lat-
ter continued in the new world for ten years, and upon his death left a
narrative of his voyages, accompanied by maps and letters. "Wlien these
were published, about 1558, it was made plain that he had visited and de-
lineated a considerable portion of the American coast. Ere this the
darkness that had enveloped the minds of men began to give way to the
light of science. The mariner's compass had helped to solve problems
in navigation; the earth was no longer believed to be flat. Europe was
preparing for its task.

Columbus set out on his great enterprise, under the patronage of the
crown of Spain, on the 3rd of August, 1492. Arriving at the Canary
Islands on the 9th, the vessels lay there four weeks, and on the 6th of
Scptoniber sailed in a westerly direction. At 2 o'clock on the morning
of Friday, October 12, land was sighted from the Nina, and on the same

32 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

iiioming Columbus, richly clad and bearing tlic royal baimer of Spain,
and surrounded by his captains and sailors, also bearing banners, took
possession of the island for their Majesties of Castile and Leon, giving
thanks to the Most High. He spent three months exploring the islands.
When the Santa Maria stranded, from her timbers a fort was built, and
forty-three Spaniards were left in charge. On the 16th of January,
1493, Columbus set out on his return in the Nina, having previously lost
sight of the Pinta. Upon his arrival home he was received with great
honor, and the news of his discovery was heralded throughout Europe.
Columbus hunself made three more voyages to the new world, and be-
fore his death other navigators had also visited the new coast. Some-
body— it may have been companions of Columbus — explored the water-
ways of this part of the State between the years 1500 and 1520. They
penetrated even into the valley of the Mohawk. The memorial stone
unearthed at Pompey, Onondaga coimtv, and bearing the date of 1520,
is an evidence of Spanish ^^sitation, and the iiiins of a fort on Castle Is-
land, below Albany, have by tradition been assigned to the same period.
Wliile the Cabots, under commissions of Henry the Seventh of England,
after discovering i^ew Foundland, sailed along the continent, and in a
succeeding reign may have still further explored the coast, no claim is
made that either of them ever entered the broad bay into which the Ilwd-
son river discharges, though the English title to the domain adjacent to
the bay begins with the discoveries of the Cabots. Giovanni da Verraz-
zano, a Florentine in the .servic-e of Francis I. of France, anchored his
caravel, the Daujjhinc, at the entrance to the bay in April, 1524:. With
a small boat a party from the ship entered the river and (quoting from
a letter wliich Yeirazzano wrote to King Francis) "found the country
on its banks well peopled, the inhabitants not difFering much from the
others, being dressed oiit with the feathers of birds of various colors.
They came toward us with evident delight," he continues, "raising loud
shouts of admiration, and showing us where we could most securely
land with our boat. We passed up the river about half a league, when
we found it formed a most beautiful lake, three leagues in circTiit, upon
which they were rowing thirty or more of their small boats from ono
shore to the other, filled with multitudes who came to see us." A vio-
lent Avind suddenly rising, the party was obliged to return to the ship
and came not back again.

Est€van Gomez, a PortugTiese, sailing under the flag of Charles V.

DISCOVERY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY. 33

of Spain, following Verrazzano in a few months, explored the bay more
thoroughly and made a chart of it. He ascended the river for a consid-
erable distance, and carried lionie a cargo that included fiu-s and red
men for slaves. Captain Andre Thevet, from France, viewed New York
harbor in the spring of 1556. In succeeding years various expeditions
from Spain and France sighted or touched the coast about Manhattan.
In the national library at Paris is a manuscript, wTitten about 1545, de-
scriptive of the waters of New York bay, and saying that "the river is
salt for more than forty leagues up," and expressing the belief that the
waters of the St. Lawrence and this ''great river" commingled.

It was an era when adventure was a passion, and to send out ships on
voyages of discovery was the pleasure of monarchs. Stories of "voy-
ages," sometimes illustrated, were being published and eagerly read in
European countries. Patents were being granted to adventurers to
occupy any remote, heathen and barbarous lands "not actually possessed
by any Christian prince or people." In 1569 David Ingi'ani and two
companions crossed the southeastern portion of this State in making an
enforced journey from the Gulf of Mexico to Massachusetts Bay.
I'hough practically the whole eastern coast of North America had been
in gome degree explored and charted, yet at the opening of the seven-
teenth century not one European settlement existed between the Gulf
of St. La^Tence and Florida. Settlers had come to a few places, and
then had disappeared.

Only two years before the coming of the Half Moon to Manhattan,
the English settled at Jamesto\vn, Virginia, and almost at the precise
time when Hudson was exploring the river which bears his name, Sam-
uel do Champlain, a captain of the French navy, with a special commis-
sion from his king, was exploring Lake Champlain, he having founded a
colony at Quebec the previous year. Thus the red flag of England was
floating over Virginia and the white ensign of France over Canada when
the Dutch tri-color was imfurled on this river.

Traditions of former visits of white men must have remained with.
the tribes on the lower course of the River of the Mountains, and doubt-
less they had heard of many other vessels that in a long course of years
had anchored off the American coast in various places and after trading
with the red men had carried away cargoes of furs. Not altogether for
the sake of adventure, or in the interest of science, or to extend the
knowledge of geography, had so many expeditions been fitted out for

34 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

America. Few returned empty handed, as there was a great demand for
American furs. But with Henry Hudson arrived a new era for this por-
tion of the new world. Before liiiu was nothing in the nature of prog-
ress. After him came civilization, and for all practical purposes the his-
tory of this valley begins with his appearance on the scene.

Xews of his coming had probably preceded him up the river. The
night before, the 13th, the strange vessel had cast anchor in sight of and
about fifteen miles below Hook Mountain. Indian runners and signals
had carried the information along the shores. Whether or not it "»vas
considered by the resident Americans a stupendous crisis in history, it
was at least an hour of excitement. The idea that they had never heard
of the wliite man or Ids countr}' across the great deep must not be enter-
tained; biit with intense curiosity and much wonderment the movements
of the Half Moon were watched from the shores. A chunsy, high-pooped
yacht, manned by a score of English and Dutch sea dogs, and flying the
Dutch colors, was coming rapidly up the river before the favorable
breeze. For eleven dajs she had been in the river bay below, and stories
of her doings had been spread. The Tappans now gathered on the edge
of their domain, or out on the river in canoes, saw a two-masted high-
sided caravel of about eighty tons' displacement, carrying at her stem a
Hag composed of three horizontal bars of orange, white and blue. On,
into Haverstraw bay she passed, and was lost to view.

The return trip was in a more leisurely manner, and at noon on the
first of October the stranger reappeared at the head of Haverstraw Bay
and came to anchor near Stony Point. Since an affray which occurred
during the week that the ship lay at Sandy Hook, when one of the sail-
ors, while returning in a small boat from a visit to shore with some com-
panions, was killed by an arrow from a party of pursuers, relations of
friendship had been re-established and during the voyage up the river
the Europeans bad tarried pleasantly, occasionally trading with and
entertaining the savages. But Hudson had some rough characters in his
crew, and the fear that they might provoke a conflict was never absent
from his mind. At Penobscot Bay, where he had remained a week, cut-
ting a new foremast and mending his rigging, a part of the ship's com-
pany had wantonly despoiled the cabins of the friendly natives. The
Captain never set dowi\ the reason why one of his men was slain and two
wounded in ISTew York harbor, but it is a fair sunuise that they had com-
mitted some reprehensible act. Out from the shore now came parties

DISCOVERY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY 35

of ludiaus iii canoes. They paddled around the Dutch nierchautman
with intense curiosity, and clambered up her high sides. They saw the
form of a crescent or half moon painted on her stem, and over it in
Dutch characters a name that has been translated "Half Moon," though
"Crescent" would have served as well. The property of the Dutch East
Indian Company, one of the principal trading companies of Europe, she
had been put in commission under an Englishman, with Robert Juet, also
an Englishman, as clerk and secretary, and a crew of twenty sailors,
partly Dutch and partly English, and had been dispatched from Amster-
dam with the purpose of searching for a new passage to China and the
Indies. They had explored the great river to the head of navigation in
the hope that it might prove to be such a passage, and though disap-
pointed in this they had foimd sometliing far more valuable for pos-
terity.

Here at Stony Point the friendly intercourse between the European
sailors and the children of the forest came to an unhappy termination.
An agile savage imobserved had climbed up by the rudder and entered a
cabin window. He could not resist the opportunity to pilfer, and was
making off with a pillow and some clothing when he was detected and
shot dead by a mate. All his comjianions fled precipitoiisly, some jump-
ing from the deck into the river. The goods were recovered by a boat's
crew that went in pursuit, but as the men were returning a savage in the
water laid hold of the boat and the cook lopped oflF his hand with a sword.
He sank never to rise again. These were the first Indians killed by Euro-
peans on this river. To escape further trouble, the Half Moon weighed
and dropped down about five miles, where she anchored for the night,
and was uadigturbed. But the shedding of blood had changed a "loving
people" into bitter enemies, and the next day, when twenty miles farther
south, the ship was fiercely attacked. Two canoes filled with armed war-
riors put out from shore and fired a shower of aiTows. The crew replied
with bullets, hitting three braves and repulsing the rest. From the near-
est point of land more than a hiindred focmen now pushed ofF for the
ship, seeking revenge, but a well directed shot from a cannon sent con-
sternation among them and killed two. They were more alanned by the
thundering of the heavy piece of ordnance than even by its terrible exe-
cution. The very hills seemed to tremble as they echoed the blast. But
regaining courage, nine or ten warriors threw themselves into a canoe,
and once more came out to defy their enemies. Again a mighty explo-

36 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

siou reut the air; a column of fire and smoke came forth from the side
of the shijj and a huge pi'ojectile accurately aimed crashed through the
bark, after penetrating a wan-ior's body. This was an ordeal that Indian
nature could not withstand, and after the dripping survivors had swam
ashore luider a discharge of musketry which had killed three or four
more, no further assault was made.

The Half Moon passed on down and anchored for the night two
leagues distant, close to the Hoboken shore. Though Hudson lay there
wind bound all the next day, no people came to trouble him, and the next
morning, just one month after his arrival at Sandy Hook, having a favor-
able breeze, he passed down the bay and out to sea.

Hudson was now undecided whore to go. The membei's of his com-
pany were of various minds, and savage mutterings came to his cars.
His chief officer mshed to muter in Ifew Foundland, and continue the
search for a new route to Asia in the spring. But Hudson, realizing that
the ship was short of provisions and had a ci'ew not amenable to disci-
pline, urged their immediate return to Holland, with a report of what
they had already discovered for their employers. At last it was agi-eed
to winter in the British Isles, and on I^ovember 7th they arrived safely
at Dartmouth, in Devonshire. From there Hudson forwarded his report
to Amsterdam. The Half iloon was retiirned to Holland after a deten-
tion by governmental interference in England for eight mouths; but
Hudson's connection with the Dutch East India Company ceased shortly
after his arrival in England.

Taking service -with an English trading company, the intrepid navi-
gator set out on what proved to be his last voyage, in April of the next
year, with a crew of twenty-three sailors, and reached Greenland in June.
Steering westward, he discovered the strait now kno^\^l as Hudson's
strait. Passing through this, he entered the great bay which is also called
by his name, and which became the foundation of the wealth of the great
Hudson Bay Company. Remaining too long in the desolate countrv, the
expedition was reduced to destitute circumstances. A mutiny broke out,
and Hudson, liis son and a few others who attended to him, were deserted
by the rest of the crew of the ship, and were left to perish miserably.
The Half Moon was "wrecked and lost" in 1615 on the island of Mauri-
tius, in the East Indies.

Hudson's repoi't. excited much interest among the daring merchants
of Great Britain and the ^Netherlands, but the directors of the Dutch

DISCOVERY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY. 37

East India Company, concluding that tliey had no authority under their
charter to pursue the matter further, made no effort to possess the new
country or monopolize its trade. They were content with their control
of the great trade of the East, and their only further desire was a shorter
route to that quarter of the globe, which they expended large sums in
searching for.

The report, which Hudson made of the Hudson river was an unquali-
fiedly favorable one. "It is as beautiful a land as one can tread upon,"
he A\TOte, "and abounds in all kinds of excellent timber." The shores
were ''as pleasant with grass and tlowers and goodly trees as ever they
had seen," and he fancied that the mountains had metal in them.
Although Spain had laid claim to all America, and France to all that
part of it north of the Gulf of Mexico, the States G-eneral of Holland
now proceeded to lay claim to tlie river and the adjoining territory, lim-
ited only by the indefinite frontier lines of the French occupation on the
north, the English colony of Virginia on the south, and to extend west-
ward "as far as the Dutch might be supposed ever to explore." To this
reaion the name of ?^ew Netherlands was given, and the river was called
Mauritius, after the Stadtholder Prince Maurice. Losing no time, some
Holland merchants sent out a vessel as soon as they learned of Hudson's
discoveries and the States General's proclamation. The crew included
several sailors who the previoiis year had sailed \vith Hudson in the Half
Moon, and it is surmised that he who was then first officer was now in
command. This was the firet Butch ship that came expressly to trade
with the Indians of the ilauritius river, and so far as known the inter-
course was entirely peaceable. In 1611 Hendrick Christiaensen and his
partner, Adriaen Block, chartered a ship in Holland and made a voyage
to the Mauritius river, and on their return besides a goodly cargo, brought
two young Indians as specimens of the resident Americans. In 1612
three merchants of Amsterdam, one of whom was a director in the East
India Company, sent out two vessels, the Fortune and the Tiger, under
the command of Christiaensen and Block, to trade along this river. Other
Dutch merchants the next year joined in the trade, and the commerce
that has continued from then to now was fau-ly opened. Captain
Block's ship, the Tiger, was destroyed by fire at Manhattan Island in the
fall of 1713, and he and his crew spent the -winter there in huts which
they built, and busied themselves meanwhile in constructing a new ves-
sel, which was called the Eestless, and was the first ship ever launched

38 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

on this river. In this small vessel Block proceeded to explore the East
river and Long Island Sound. He discovered the Connecticut river and
Narragansett bay. That winter also he and liis crew spent on Manhat-
tan Island, and from tliat time there was a Dutch colony there. A large
storehouse was Imilt, and thither the Indians began to take their furs.

References: 'Itlie Story oif the Stlaites, by ElbrMg'e S. Brooks, E. H.- Rob-
erts' New York, ()'C'«llaih^u^s and Ito'odhead's HSstorieis.

CHAPTEE IV.

THE ABORIGINES.
Tribes of the Lower Hudson Valley — The Tapp.ans and Haverstraws —
Characteristics and Mode of Life — Bountifully Supplied by Nature — Principles
of Government and Evidences of Religion.

THE Indian tribes of the Hudson river belonged to three great nat-
ural divisions, the Mahicans, the Lenni Lenapcs and the Iroquois,
each of which divisions was composed of a confederacy or league
of tribes. These tribes in turn were each composed of minor tribes or
clans. The Iroquois confederacy originally included five nations, the
Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas, but the Tusca-
roras, who had long lived in North Carolina, were permitted to settle
in this province and become members of the federation which was thence-
forth called the Six Nations. Their territory extended from the Catskills
to the St. Lawrence, and from the Hudson to Lake Erie. The tribes
belonging to the Mahican federation possessed the whole east bank of
the river from the headwaters to the sea, and their lands extended to
the Connecticut, if not beyond. A powerful people, their influence was
proportionate to the conunanding situation. The coimtry of the Lenni
Lenapes, or Delawares, as they were sometimes called, extended from the
Catskill mountains to the sea, along the west bank of the Hudson, and
from that river to the Potomac and beyond. Their capital, or seat of
government, was at the place now covered by the city of Philadelpliia.
The sub-nation along the west bank of the lower "Mahicanituk," as they
called our river, had the general name of Unamis. The chieftaincies
included the Navisink or Neversincks, at or near Sandy Hook, the Rari-
tans, who gave their name to a river; the Ilackensacks, the Aquacknocks,
Avhose hunting gi-onnds were in the section where the city of Paterson
has grown \\])\ tlie Tappans, wlio lived on the shore of the Tappan Zee

THE ABORIGINES. 39

and in the country extending west from it, their northern boundary being
Ilook Mountain, and their domain extending southward to the lands of
the Hackensacks; and finally tlie Ilaverstraws, on the shore of Ilaver-
straw Bay.

For the reason that Staten Island appears to have been owned in
partnership by the Raritans, the Hackensacks and the Tappans, there
nuist have been a special alliance between these three tribes. It is appar-
ent that the Tappans were influential and powerful, and occupied a geo-
graphical position of groat advantage, not only abounding in fish and
game, but also well situated for defence against their occasional enemies
across the river. The Palisades were impregnable, and by concentrating
at the few places where attacks could \)e made from the river, they were
always able to defend themselves from that quarter. They lived in a nat-
wral fortress. At or near the several openings in the Palisades were their
principal ^^llages, the chief one of all being near the present site of Tap-
pan village. The name of their cachem in 1645 was Sesekemu, and
at a later period Taghkospeno filled that position. A neighboring chief
contemporaneous with Sesekemu was Oritany of the Hackensacks, who
lived to a gTeat age and was a noted character. A man of moderation,
sagacity and benevolence, he won respect from all who came in contact
with him. His influence over other chieftains was very great, and he
also earned the confidence of the white settlers in an exceptional degree.
The lands of his chieftaincy included the present Jersey City, Hoboken
and the lower part of the Hackensack river country.

Xortli of the Tappans were the Haverstroos (or Haverstraws), with
a domain now covered by the townships of Haverstraw and Stony Point.
Aboiit 1666 they sold a large tract of their river front to Balthazcr De
Ilarte, a Xew York merchant, and left him in undisputed possession. In
1G83 they sold another large tract to Stephen Van Cortlandt. This
extended "from the soutli side of a creek called Senkapough, west to the
head thereof, then northerly along the high hills as the river runneth to
another creek called Aasinapink, thence along the same to Hudson's
river." The Haverstraws were the tril)csmen who had the trouble with
the crew of the Half Moon while that vessel was anchored near Stony
Point in 1609. For a long period Saekagkemeck was their sachem, for
he sigiied both the De Hart and Van Cortlandt deeds. Other prominent
men in the tribe were Roansamcck, Kewegham and Kackeros. The
Haverstraws were also called the Rumachenaek tribe.

40 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The immediate neighbors of the Haverstraws on the north were the
Waoranecks, whose northern boundary was Danskammer point, and
across the river the Kit«hawangs and the Sint Sings, belonging to the
Mahican nation. In the section now occupied by the villag'es of Dobbs
FeiTy and Tariytown lived the Wechquaesgecks, and south of these were
the Manhattans. The Kitchawangs had a castle at the mouth of the
Croton river that was very fonnidable. It stood at the entrance, or
neck, of Teller's Point, and near the site is the Van Cortlandt family
cemetery. They had another village at Peekskill which they called
Sackhoes. The Sint Sings' stronghold was at Ossining, and the Manhat-
tans had a fort on Spuyten Duyvel creek.

All the Hudson river tribes were powerful; the three great nations
or confederacies to which they belonged were as prominent among the
other nations of the continent as is the Empire State among other States
in the present era. Originally the IVIahicans and Lenapes (or Delawares)
were superior in war-like strength to the Iroquois (or Five Nations), but
after the advent of the Dutch and English the Iroquois could more easily
obtain firearms, which gave them an advantage over their brethren of
the lower Hudson.

In the day of their supremacy the red men of the IRidson were the
noblest and best of their race. Much in their general character can be
admired, when one considers the intellectual darkness in which they
lived. Supposedly children of Adam, like the new comers from across
the sea, why had the Americans remained behind with those who dwelt
in tents, and the Europeans advanced? What will account for the dif-
ference between them? While they had learned scarcely anything in
mechanics, and very little in agriculture and mining, yet, living so close
to nature all these ages, they had learned something from the birds and
trees and running brooks. According to their o^vn philosophy tliey had
everything necessary to their happiness and well-being; otlier things
tliey did not have because such were unnecessary; they had discarded
or left alone what they could do without. While the white man's desire
had been for acciunulation, the red man's rule of life liad been elimina-
tion; the gold which one prized so highly was uncoveted by him to whom
the bulging storehouses of nature were free. Nature ^vith very little
aasistance was able to supply the wants of her children, and they were
willing that she should. As for their moral side, the race had not a few
elements of nobilitv. Out of their inner consciousness they had evolved

Q
<

THE ABORIGINES. 41

certain principles and set up certain standards. No tables of stone had
ever been handed down from heaven to tliem, yet they believed in the
Great Spirit, and hoped for a blessed iminortality.

With no examples within their view of knowledge, they had origi-
nated a fonn of government whose corner-stone was the liberty of the
individual. It was the prototype of onr present republican institution.
They founded independence and effected a union of States; the voice of
the people was supreme. They had great self-control and self-respect;
all have read of the dignity of their bearing. In diplomacy they matched
the white man; in oratory they were sometimes superb. While they
often forgave an injury, they never forgot a kmdness.

The Iroquois are known to have carried their arms westward to the
Mississippi, and soTithward to the C'arolinas. They even entered Mexico.
La Salle found them in Illinois, and Captain John Smith encountered a
fleet of their canoes on the Chesapeake. But powerful as were the Iro-
quois, the river Indians were fully if not more than their equals. The
Mahioal and Unamis were never as nations driven away from their coun-
cil fires, and their deeds for land along this river were ever accepted by
the white men as good titles.

The Tappans, Haverstraws and Ilackensacks were generous and affa-
ble to the foreign people who came among them, but were naturally
reserved, and apt to retaliate for injuries and to retain resentments a long
time. They took remarkable care of one another in sickness. In their
councils they seldom if ever interrupted or hastily contradicted. Their
language was lofty and sententious; if several came to a foreigner's
house and he gave food to Init one, the recipient would divide it et|ually
among his companions. The Indians were generally straightforward
with those who were of the same mind. Many incidents could be related
to show wherein they manifested commendable traits. If a rattlesnake
gave notice with his rattle when they approached, they would not harm
him, but if he rattled after they had passed they immediately returned
and killed him. Their chief employments were hunting, fishing and
fowling, and making canoes, bowls and other wooden and earthen ware.
In earthen bowls they boiled their water. They also made hats, ropes,
mats and baskets. The women's duties consisted in preparing the meals,
planting com, parching or roasting it, pounding it to meal in mortars,
and making bread.

42 HISTORY OF ROCKLA>fD COUNTY.

The Indians would not allow the mentioning of the name of a friend
after liis death. They sometimes streaked their faces with black when
in monniing, but when their affairs went well they painted their
faces red. They were great observers of the weather and of the habits
of birds and animals; they studied the virtues of roots and herbs. When
a person of note died far from home his companions would carry his
corpse to be buried among his kin. They were exceedingly faithful in
visiting and keeping in order the graves of their dead. They called per-
sons and places by the names of tilings remarkable. The marriage cere-
mony was sometimes thus: the relations and friends being present, the
bridegroom delivered a bone to the bride, she an ear of Indian com to
him, meaning that be was to pro^'ide meat, she bread. In case of sub-
sequent disagTecmcnt and divorce, the children went with the party that
loved them best. They had gTeat respect for age and were kind to the
decrepit. Strict observers of the rights of property, they apparently had
no great desire for large possessions. Their wigwams were mostly
together in \^llages, but tribes having large territory moved about in the
summer season for pleasure or in pursuit of game. When a company
traveled together they generally followed each other in silence and in
single file.

In person they were upright and of straight limbs; their tine figures
distingiiishcd American Indians from the savages of all other lands.
Their bodies were strong, seldom crooked; their features regular, their
countenances strong; in temper, cool and deliberate. Xevcr in haste to
speak, the Indian waited for a certainty that the person addressing him
had spoken all he wished to say. When in council his behavior was par-
ticiilarly dignified. Evei-y one entitled to speak wa.s heard in his turn,
according to rank of years, or wisdom, or service to his nation or tribe.
The youthful were expected to keep silence altogether.

Liberty, as has been said, was the corner-stone of their system of gov-
ernment; the utmost liberty ■with the least compulsion. Freedom and
independence were principles they had learned from Nature, after which
they patterned their lives. Slavery was dreaded more than deatli and
they themselves never made slaves of inferior races. Their children were
trained up to cherish the idea of freedom and that they were freemen.
Accordingly, they were seldom punished -natli blows, but appealed to
with reason. The parents said that the mischief their children might do
Avould not be serious until their own reason and sense of right would mod-

THE ABORIGINES. 43

ify their conduct. Tlieir ponnl code was limited; they had a system of
punishments peculiarly their own. Atonements were in most cases vol-
mitary. The respect which tliey accorded to their chiefs and sachems
was voluntarj'; nothing of the kind could be exacted under their idea
of independence and personal freedom. Respect was earned hj merit,
and not based on fear. Age was revered. The sachems directed in this
councils and had the power to sign deeds when land was disposed of.

When making treaties or when presenting formal complaints to the
white men, they had a singular custom, perhaps designated to help their
memories, perhaps to give force to what they said. They had belts and
strings of black and whit* wampum, and sometimes sticks of wood, each
of which would correspond to one count in the indictment, or to on<>
phase of the subject under discussion. The Indians treasured these belts
when delivered to them in ti'eaties. Illustrative of the use made of the
belts and strings, the speech of a chief of this section at a covincil fire
with English governors may be quoted: The chief spoke in English:
"Brethren: It is now more than two yeai-s since we heard of our cousins,
the Delawares, taking up the liatchet against the English. We invited
them and they came to a great meeting at our town of Otsaningo. We
then gave our cousins a belt a fathom long, and twenty-five rows in
breadth, and desii-ed them to lay do^vn the liat«het that they had taken
up against the English, and to be easy with them. And if they would
follow this advice we told them that they would live in peace until their
heads were white with age; otherwise, it might not be so with them. Not
bearing from our cousins for some time what they did in consequence of
this belt, we sent to them two other belts, one of sixteen and the other
of twelve rows, desiring them once more to be easy with their brethren,
the English, and not to strike them any more: But still we heard noth-
ing from them ; indeed, some time afterward, we understood the Dela-
wares would say that the Indians at Otsanigo had grey eyes, and even
should have had the hatchets struck into our heads. We now want to
know what is become of these belts; maylje they may be under ground,
or they may have swallowed them down their throats. . . . Breth-
ren: As our enemies have been loth to give any answer to these belts,
we now desire that they may let us kni>w in public conference what they
have done with them." The old chief here put down a string of wam-
pma to emphasize his inquiry and the conclusion of his remarks.

44 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The generally expressed opinion of the early white critics for the re-
ligion of the red men was one of contempt, but time has somewhat mod-
ified that view. If by the word religion is meant assent to certain creeds,
or the obser^^ance of forms and ceremonies, snch as are common among
us, then it may be said that the Indian had no religion. But if by re-
ligion we im.derstand a belief in a Suj^remc Being, in an over-ruling
pro\'idence, in a hunger after knowledge of Him, and a fima belief in a
happy life beyond the grave for those who order themselves right in tliis
life, then it must be admitted that the Indian had a religion. In 1737
a young man who had acquired great familiarity with the Indian lan-
guage was sent by the Governor of Virginia on a journey to Onondaga,
the capital of the Six Nations. He set out in Februaiy on his five-
hundred mile jom-ney through the wilderness, accompanied by a Dutch-
man and three Indians. Wlien they were one liundred and fifty miles
on their journey they came into a narrow valley, both sides of which
were formed of high moTintains, where the snow lay about three feet
deep. The trail led along the slope of one of these mountains, and to
keep from slipping the travelers were obliged to dig footholds in hard
places. As they crept on it happened that the old Indian's foot slipped,
and the root of the bush by which he held breaking, he slid down the
mountain side as from the roof of a house. By a strange fortune he
was stopped in his fall by the stoiit string which fastened his pack catch-
ing on the stimip of a tree. When he was rescued by his companions,
and all had descended in safety to the valley, it was discovered that had
the Indian gone a few feet farther, he would have fallen over a preci-
pice, rocky and vertical, at the foot of which were bare bouldei-s. The
Indian was astonished and turned pale. Then, with outstretched arms
and great earnestness, he spoke tliesc words: 'T thank the great lord
and governor of this world in that he had mercy upon me, and has been
Avilling that I should live longer." The Indian words, the Governor's
commissioner, imderstanding them perfectly, set down at once in liis
journal.

The next year the same commissioner went on another journey to
Onondaga, in company with three other woodsmen. It happened that
an Indian came to them in the evening, who had neither shoes, stock-
ing's, knife, gun, shirt nor hatchet; in a word, he had nothing but an old
torn blanket and some rags. On the white men inquiring whither he
was going, he answered, to Onondaga. Said the interpreter afterward

THE ABORIGINES. 45

iu wTiting the account: "I knew him and asked how he woiild under-
take to go a journey of three hundred miles so naked and unprovided,
having no provisions, nor any arms to kill game for his sustenance? He
answered that he liad been amongst enemies, and had been obliged to
save himself by flight, and so had lost all, but he told me very cheerfully
Ihat 'God fed everything which had life, even the rattlesnake, and that
Ciod woidd provide in such a manner that he should come to Onondaga
alive; he knew for certain that he should go there; that God was always
with the Indians in the wilderness, because they alwaj^s cast their cares
on him, biit that contrary to this, the Europeans always carried their
bread with them.' He was an Onondaga, liis name was Anontagketa.
The next day we traveled in company, and the day following I pro^'ided
him with a knife, hatchet, flint and tinder, also shoes and stockings, and
sent him before me to give notice to the council at Onondaga that I was
coming, which he truly performed, being got thither three days before
me."

Apparently, a life of dissipation and ease, sometimes of appetite,
satiety, indolence and sleep, seemed to be the ambition of the average
Indian ; but sometimes a desire for better things was observed. An old
king who was dying gave utterance to these words in the presence of men
able to take account of them: "It is my desire that my brother's son
should come to me and hear my last words; for him have I appointed
king after me. . . . My brother's son, this day I deliver my heart
into your bosom; and mind me. I would have you love what is good
and keep good company; refuse what is evil and by all moans avoid bad
company. Be sure always to walk in a good path and if any should
speak any evil of Indians or Christians, do not join it, but look at the sun
from the rising of it until the setting of the same. In speeclics that
shall be made between the Indians and the Christians, if any wrong or
evil thing be spoken, do not join with that; but join with the good. When
speeches are made, do not you speak first; be silent and let all speak be-
fore you, and take good notice what each one speaks, and when you have
heard all, join to that which is good. . . . Brother's son, you have
heard what has passed; stand up in time of speeches, stand in my steps
and follow my speeches; this do and what you desire in reason shall be
granted. Why should you not follow my example? I have had a mind
to be good and do good, therefore do you the same. Sheoppy and Swam-
pis were to be kings in my stead, but understanding by my doctor that

46 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Sheoppy secretly advised liiin not to cure me, and they both being with
me, that I myself saw that they were given more to drink than to take
notice of my last words, — ^for I had a mind to make a speech to them,
and to my brethren, the English conmianders, therefore I refuse them to
hv kings after me, and have now chosen my brother's son, lahkursoe, in
their stead to succeed me. . . . Brother's son, I advise you to be
plain and fair with all, both Indians and Christians, as I have been; I
am very weak, otherwise I would have spoken more."

The sub-divisions of the local tribes, as of the nations, were numerous,
and government was of the simj)lest character consistent with good order.
It might be said that every man was a law unto himself, yet he must not
be lawless. The head of every tribe, the sachem, was its representative
in tlie coimeils with neighboring tribes, or at the representative assem-
blies of the nation. In all cases not requiring concerted action the tribes
had independent discretion. Each nation had its emblem or totem, the
form of which they drew upon rocks and trees as they paused, either
to give notice to friends or warning to enemies. The Indians' totems
cor'-esponded to the flags of modern nations. The totem of the nation
to which the Tappans and Haverstraws belonged was a wolf. The chief
possessions of the red brethren were held in common. Their land was
never divided among individuals; the ownership was in the tribe, and
was disposed of by the sachem with the consent of the people.

There is but little data to estimate Indian populations. The total
was not so large as might be supposed. The strength of the Six Nations
did not exceed t/Cn thousand, and there are reasons for believing that the
numbers of the Mahican and Lenape federations were but little greater
respectively. The Ilackensacks, who were more numerous than the Tap-
pans or Haverstraws, numbered about one thousand. All belonged to
the great Algonkin family, which occupied the Atlantic coast from the
Savannah river to Labrador. The dialects of all were related, and evi-
dently at some distant day they had spoken the same tongue. The area
occupied by the Algonkin family was more extensive than that of any
other linguistic stock in America.

Nature provided with a liberal hand for the necessaries of life. In
tlie forests were great plenty of deer, beside wild turkeys, many par-
tridges, wild ]iigcons flew in flocks of thousands. In the rivers and lakes
and along the smaller water courses, especially in the spring and autumn,
were all kinds of fowl in great numbers — swans, geese, ducks, teal and

THE ABORIGINES. 47

brant, wliich fell easy prey to woodsmen. Also in the country were pan-
thers, bears, wolves and foxes. Fish abounded in the river, particularly
pike, eeels, perch, lampreys, suckers, cattish, sunfish, shad, bass. In the
spring, in May, a man with a hook and line, could catch in an hour, it
is said, as many perch as ten or twelve persons could eat. The virgin
soil yielded abundantly mth slight encouragement. All the natural
productions were lu.xuriant. Where the primeval forests had not been
ravaged by fires, the trees were large and beautiful. The Indians some-
times burned the woods to more easily hunt deer. Wild fruit, berries
and nuts were abundant in season: cherries, plums, mulbemes, currants,
goosebeiTies, raspberries, cranberries and strawberries; chestnuts, beech-
nuts, walnuts, butternuts, hazelnuts. Innumerahle medicinal plants
were also to be found, and the Indians knew the properties of many of
them and were skillful in using them.

To keep their bodies comfortable in winter our predecessors in the
land were well provided with furs and skins. For their feet tliey had
deerskin mocassins; and other garments were composed of the same ma-
terial. From the skins of beavers, martins, minks, squin-els or raccoons,
they fashioned shirts, jackets and robes that were often handsome. It
largely depended iipon the taste of the individual Indian how he was at-
tired. For their couches they had undressed deer, panther or bear skins.
The white settlers, w!io learned many things about hunting and general
woodcraft from the children of the forests, adapted the buckskin gar-
ments and mocassins when it was necessary for them to be much in the
forests. They could travel much farther when so attired, with less
fatigue. For his head the Indian disdained any covering. It was a
matter of personal pride to be physically robust and hardened; to be men
of great endurance, agility, athletic, muscular. As a warrior he must
not only be fearless, but equal to every physical requirement. From
his point of view he was a high type of physical manhood, and must
not demean himself by manifesting weakness; he must endure torture
without flinching and laugh in the face of danger. No one will chal-
lenge the fact that the Xorth American Indians, and especially the mem-
bers of the Hudson river tribes, were the masters and superiors of all
other savage races. Even among the civilized races there were but few
able to cope with them physically.

Perhaps to add to their fierce aspect, they arranged their thick black
hair in a peculiar manner. Cropping it close on the sides, they left a

48 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

lock of about the width of three fingers, and two or three fingers in
length, and being coarse and thick it stood on end like a rooster's comb.
It was natural for them to have no beard. Their skin they painted red,
blue or black at times; black was a sign of mourning; red, when applied
in a certain way, meant war. When they traveled they took along some
of their maize, a kettle, a wooden bowl and a spoon ; these they packed to-
gether and hung on their backs. When they wished to build a camp-
fire they obtained a flame quickly by rubbing certain kinds of wood to-
gether in a particular way.

In time of war the savage in them was supreme. Cruel then be-
3^ond expression, they slew -without mercy and died without a sign of
fear. Captives were subjected to fearful tortures. War was to the
death and unspeakably horrible as they conducted it. This was the least
admirable side of the Indian character. Their weapons, before the
white man gave them firearms, were bows and arrows, spears, clubs, hat-
chets and knives. Their arrow heads were made of flint, bone or copper,
sharpened, barbed and poisoned. When shot with power these would
penetrate a body like a musket ball. Their castles or strongholds were
formed of heavy wooden stockades. When arranged to withstand a
long siege, they contained living quarters, store houses and water sup-
ply. To these the women and children would hasten in case of attack,
and the men also, if outnumbered by the enemy. Pride made Indians
brave. ISTone cared to show the white feather or to be called a coward.
By a custom that was the same as law, every able-bodied man A\'ith every
boy over the age of fourteen was a defender of his tribe or nation. War
was declared after full consideration and imanimous decision. On the
battle-field the chiefs were obeyed implicitly; they were chosen for their
valor; but at the council fire of the tribe every member had an equal
voice.

The Indians made their houses for the most part of bark, with a
frame work of poles, water tight and wann, and kindled fires in the mid-
dle of them. When a son or daughter was married, an addition was built
and a new hearth-fire lighted. Thus some of the houses became in the
course of years very long, and a nimiber of fires burned therein, each
representing a branch of the family. From bark they also made light
canoes; by hollowing out and shaping the tnmks of suitable trees they
constructed larger ones. Some of these could carry ten or twelve per-
sons. Although there were no courts of justice for the punishment of

THE ABORIGINES. 49

offences, there was still a court of public opinion, and established cus-
toms tliat could not be disregarded. Crimes against individuals were
avenged by the parties agg-rieved; murder was avenged by the next of
kin. But the colonists have left recorded their testimony that "not half
so many murders and villainies were committed among the savages as
among Christians."

"O poor me!
Who am going- out to fight the enemy,
And know not whether I shall return again,
To enjoy the embraces of my children
And my wife.
O poor creature!

Whose life is not in his own hands,
' Wtio has no power over his own body.

But tries to do his duty.
For the welfare of his nation.
O thou Great Spirit above,
Take pity on my children
And on my wife.

Prevent their mourning on my account,
Grant that I may be successful in this attempt,
That I may slay my enemy,
And bring home the trophies of vvnar
To my dear family and friends,
That we may rejoice together.
O take pity on me!
Give me strength and courage
To meet my enemy.

Suffer me to return again to my children
And to my wife.
And to my relations.
Take pity on me and preserve my life.
And I will maJce thee a sacrifice.

Going to war was termed figuratively "taking up the hatchet." The
subject of grievance, the matter of alliances, and the messages brought
by runners were considered in solemn conclave, and the chiefs would,
the cause being STifficicnt, appeal in eloquent orations to the patriotism
and courage of their braves: "The bones of your murdered country-
men lie uncovered and demand revenge at our hands; their spirits loud-
ly call upon us, and we must obey; still greater spirits watching over our
honor inspire us to go in pursuit of the slayers of our brethren. Let ua
follow their trail and devour them ! ... Do not sit inactive. . .
Follow the impulse of your hereditary valor. Paint your faces, fill your
quivers, make the woods echo with shoiits for revenge! Comfort the
spirits of the deceased and revenge their blood." Rising, a war dance
would begin, participation in this being equivalent to volunteering for

so HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

the expedition. The war song of the Lenapes has thus been translated
and recorded in history:

References: Ruttenber's "Indian Tribes of Hiulson's River." Smith's His-
tory of New .leTsey. "The Old New York Frontder" — Halsey. N. Y. Historical
Society coUeictions.

CHAPTEE V.

INDIAN WARS.

Encroachments of the Duitch — The Ooloiiy at Vrfiielsendael — Oonsequenccs
of Stealing an Indian's Beaver Coat — Tappans Driven from Home By Mohawks
— Massacres at Pavonia By Dutch Soldiers — Allied Tribes Take Revenge — Vrie-
sendael Destroyed.

THE denizens of the forest not only treated the newcomers from
across the sea in a friendly manner, but were generous and help-
ful in many ways. They saw the colony on Manhattan Island
increase in population, and viewed with indifference the establishing
of trading posts at several other places. For many years peace and amity
existed between the two races. Such land as the settlers desired they
could obtain for a triile, for the owners had j)lenty more. Thus, Man-
hattan Island changed hands in consideration of the payment of sixty
guilders, or about twenty-foiu- dollars, and the Manhattans, retiring
northward, left the Dutch in full and undisputed possession of what is
now the most valuable tract of land on the continent. But while they
lived at peace with the newcomers, the Indians had troubles of their own.
The ilahicans ^nd the Mohawks on tlie upjicr Hudson distiu-bed the pub-
lic peace for about two years, so that most of the Christians fled froon
Fort Orange to Manhattan and remained until the two nations smoked
the pipe of peace again.

Encouraged by the traders at Manhattan, the tribes began to spend
much time in the hunting field, killing and trapping wild animals for
tlieir furs, the trading post offering a market for all that could be obtain-
ed. During the year 1632 the exports from New Netherlands amount
ed to more than fifteen thousand skins, the greater number of which were
beaver. The Indians on the lower river made frequent trips to the fort,
but it was the custom of the interior or distant nations to make the jour-
ney annually with their .supplies of furs. Such was the good feeling in
this quarter, the fort on Manhattan Island was allowed to go to decay,
open at every side and the guns off their carriages. The Dutch govern-

a
z

Z
a:
m

H
CO

INDIAN WARS. 51

ment at Amsterdam gave a special riglit for exclusive trade with the
natives to one finn, but many private persons, disregarding this charter,
engaged openly in traffic, and wei-e generally able to secure skins of a
quality superior to those wliich were offered to the company. Some of
the free traders were ser\'ants of the company, but, becoming rich, re-
signed from the employment and established large plantations. The
profits of the fur trade were very great, and in the opinion of the new-
comers, now was the time to make their fortunes. Spreading them-
selves through the country, they built cabins and engaged in trade with
the Indians, who were frequent visitors at their doors. These encroach-
ments, unnoticed at first, in time became numerous and amioying. Even
an Indian, however unselfish, could not bear with equanimity the sight
of his com being trampled do^vn by a stranger's cattle. Then the au-
thorities at New Amsterdam, now confident of their physical ability to
enforce the measure, levied a tax of corn, furs or wampum against the
original owners of the soil, to help defray, as they said, the expense of
maintaining their military establishment, by wliich the Indians were
protected from their enemies. These matters were naturally the sub-
ject of serious consideration at tlie council fires of the tribes and nations,
and sigiis of the first estrangement began to appear. Reports also reach-
ed the river tribes from Fort Orange that their old-time enemies, the Mo-
hawks, were being supjjlied with firearms, while they of the Unamis aTid
Mahican nations were unable to obtain any. Director-General Kieft
had forbidden the furnishing of firearms to the natives under pain of
death, but he either countenanced the act, or was unable to prevent the
Mohawks (of the Six JvTations) from receiving weapons, which placed
them at a great advantage over all other nations. Tlie river tribes ap-
pealed again and again to the Dutch authorities against this discrimina-
tion, but without avail. On the other hand, any Mohawk who had col-
lected twenty beaver skins could exchange them for a musket at any free
trader's house in his country, and the equivalent of ten or twelve giiilders
would buy a pound of powder. Many private individuals, desirous of
obtaining the large profits that accrued from the traffic, imported fire-
arms and ammunition from Holland in quantities and disposed of them
to the Mohawks, who in a short time became well equipped, while the
river tribes remained comparatively defenceless. The natural conse-
quence followed immediately; the thunderbolts of war were loosed and
warriors from the Long House of the Six Nations scattered death and de-

52 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

struction among their neighbors along the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes.

While the Tappans, in common with the Mahicans and the other riv-
er Indians, were brooding over annoyances and particularly the partial-
ity of the Dutch for the Iroquois federation, Director-General Kieft de-
termined to exact the tribute of corn, furs and wampum. In pursuit of
this object, he sent out an armed sloop on a collecting expedition, first to
the Tappans. When he landed and made known his errand, a council
was called, and in the course of the proceeding's the agent of the Dutch
West India Company was clearly and emphatically informed as to the
state of mind existing in that tribe. ''The Sakenia of the fort," ex-
claimed the chiefs of the Tappans, "must be a mean fellow; he has not
invited them to come and live here, that he should now take away their
corn." The tax was not collected, nor was any violence offered the In-
dians.

For the first time the Tappans manifested ill-will toward their white
brethren, and were evidently prepared to resist an attempted enforce-
ment of the proclamation of taxation. With dignity one of the chiefs
reproached the Dutch for being "men of blood," alluding to some un-
called for deeds in another part of the country, and another warrior in-
timated that though they might be strong on the water, they were weak
on the land. Upon his return to Manhattan the Director-General, feel-
ing that he liad cause for alarm, issued an order for the troops and fort
to be made ready for defence, for every civilian to provide himself with
a gun, and for the people at large upon hearing the discharge of three
cannon to ha.sten at once to the fort. Up to this time the Hudson
river Indians had kept their war hatchets buried; no wrong had ever
come to the white people from them. Though a crisis had now arisen, a
governor less headstrong a.nd tyrannical tlian Kieft might have saved
his countrymen much sorrow.

A trifling incident, which, especially in the then inflamed state of af-
fairs, should have been overlooked, was made the excuse for an atrocious
assault against the Indians. One morning some swine were missing from
the plantation of Captain De Vries, on Staten Island, and though the
offence was at once charged against the nearest Indians, the Haritans, in-
quiry would have disclosed that some of the Director-General's own men
had committed the depredation. Forthmth, a force of fifty soldiers
was sent against the nearest Raritan village, and although the Indians
offered to make good a loss for which they were in no wise responsible,

INDIAN WARS. S3

the soldiers fell upon them, killed or butchered several of their number
and burnt their crops. This occurred in the year 1G40.

The previous spring Captain David P. De Vries, sailing from Fort
Amsterdam in his own sloop, on a journey to Fort Orang-e, to see the
country, an'ived tlic first evening at Tappan (now Piennont), where he
found a beautiful plateau, some two hundred feet above the river, where
the hills fall back. Pleased with the place, he opened negotiations with
the Tappan tribe for its purchase, and at a small cost became the owner.
Having been on good terms with all the Indians on the lower river, he
was the more easily able to make the purchase. The tract consisted of
about five himdred acres, and besides having the advantage of being at
no great distance from Fort Amsterdam, contained an extensive bed of
clay. David Peterson De Vries had been a resident of the country since
1630, when, coming from Holland, he and seven of the Directors of the
Dutch West India Company, among whom was Van Rensselaer, form-
ed an association for planting a colony on the Delaware river, where they
intended to raise tobacco and grain, and, with a ship that they o^\^led,
prosecute whale fishery. Although the Company considered this en-
terprise an invasion of its vested rights, the colony was allowed to re-
main. But, two years later, Indians in revenge for some wrong de-
scended on the place and destroyed it, and all the inhabitants, thirty-four
in number, were massacred. De Vries, returning from a voyage to Hol-
land, found the bones of his murdered people unburied and his buildings
in ruins. A few years before his visit to Tappan he had purchased land
on Staten Island, some Holland merchants being partnei's in the trans-
action, and had foimded a colony there with immigTants from the old
coimtry. He hoped that this new place would be more secure from at-
tack than the old one on the Delaware, which had been destroyed.
AVhile his o%vn private residence and estate was situated on the bank of
the Hudson above Fort, Amsterdam, he had never until now sailed up the
river. His estate on Manhattan Island was a large one, with "hay
enough for two himdred head of cattle." His intention in buying Tap-
pan was to send a company of immigrants there — not to make the place
his own abode. The colonists came in the autumn of 1641, and at once
proceeded to erect habitations. This was the first white settlement with-
in the territory of Rockland county. The name Vriesendale was given
to it. Frederick De Vries, Secretary of the City of Amsterdam, Hol-
land, and a manager of the West India Company, was a brother and

54 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

partner of Captain David De Vries. The ucxt year another colony was
established, wathin an hour's walk of this one, by !MJ^ldert JMyudcrtsen
van der IIoi*st, from Utrecht, Holland. The second plantation extend-
ed from Newark Bay north toward Tappan, and included the valley of
the Hackinsack river. The headquarters of the settlement was but five
"or six hundred paces from the principal village of the Ilackensack In-
dians. Each settlement was essentially a trading post.

Meanwhile, the Raritans had not forgotten their treatment at the
hands of Kieft's soldiers, and, after the manner of their race, had been
thii-sting for revenge. When a favorable moment arrived, they de-
scended upon De Vries' 2>lantation at Staten Island and destroyed his
building-s and killed four of his plantere. Kieft, for some reason, sent
no troops ag-ainst the Raritans, though the provocation was greater than
when he dispatched the punative expedition of the preceding year; but
instead he offered a reward of ten fathoms of wampum for the head of
every Karitan. So far as known, the reward was claimed but once, when
an Indian of the Haverstraw tribe appeared at the fort with the head of
a dead man fastened to the end of a stick. Tradition says it was the
head of the chief of the Raritans, and that the Indian who brought it was
a chief of the Haverstraws, in testimony of his friendship for the "Swan-
nekins," as the Dutch were called by the red men. After having thus
squared accounts, the Raritans and the authorities at the fort came to
terms and smoked the pipe of peace; and not even when all the other
tribes raised the hatchet against the pale faces did the Raritans break
the pledge they then gave.

Until 1643 the Tappans and Haverstraws lived in peace wnth the
newcomers. Then the stealing of a beaver-skin coat from an Indian
at Hackinsack was the immediate occasion for an outbreak. Dutch li-
quor had begim to do its work among the aborigines, most of whom, nn-
flble to resist its fascination, would sacrifice anything they possessed to
obtain it. For the sake of easy and profitable traffic, the colonists had
been willing to give to the Indians what proved in many instances disas-
trous alike to savage and to settler. A yoimg Hackinsack had gone to
the trading post and stupified himself \\'itli rum. Upon coming some-
what to his senses, and missing his fine coat, he accused the "Swanne-
kins" of stealing it and swore vengeance. Captain De Vries at that mo-
ment was coming from his plantation at Vriesendale through the woods,
f^nd meetino' the intoxicated and enraged brave, was informed of what

INDIAN WARS. SS

I'ad happened. "You are a good cliief," said the Hackinsack; "when we
nsit you we get milk to drink for nothing." He bore no ill-will toward
the white chief, but he was going to his lodge for his weapons, and would
kill tlie first Swannekin he met. !Not many hours after the news came
that he had kept his vow; an unoffending immigrant had been slain un-
awares, as he was roofing the house of the owner of the trading post at
Hackinsack.

The whole countryside flew to arms; anxiety and fear prevailed. A
deputation of Indian chiefs somewhat allayed alarm by visiting Captain
De Vries, who was president of the advisory council of Twelve for the
province, and repudiating the acts of their younger brother. They of-
fered to make atonement in money, but could not deliver up the mur-
derer, who had tied to the mountains, among the Ilaverstraws. And,
besides, he was a chief's son, and therefore could not be molested, ac-
cording to their code. Captain De Vries advised them to proceed to
Fort Amsterdam and make their explanation in person to Director-Gen-
eral Kieft; to ensure their safe return he would accompany them. Ui>
on hearing the appeal the Greneral declared that justice in such a case
could only be satisfied by the punishment of the murderer. He de-
nounced in solemn words the enormity of the crime, and declined any
atonement of money. Oritany, the great sachem of the Hackensaeks,
while regretting the crime, expressed the opinion that "the Swannekiiis
ought not to sell fire-water to our young men to make them crazy. Your
own people fight with knives and commit fooleries when drunk."

That mnter, in February, an attack which the river Indians had long
apprehended as a consequence of selling firearms indiscriminately to the
Six Nations was made. Suddenly and ferociously a hundred Mohawks,
every one armed -svitli a musket, against which a bow and arrow was a
poor defence, fell upon the villages on both sides of the river below the
Highlands and pillaged them. Surprised and inadequately equipped,
the people could make no defence ; their only safety was in flight. Those
on the east side of the river fled toward Manhattan Island, seeking refuge
among the settlers and at the fort; while on the west side the fugitives
first came Vriesendael, and then ovei-flowed to Hackensack and Pavo-
nist For two weeks, while the dreaded Mohawks remained in the vi-
ciniir, they lived on the bounty of the Dutch. At this juncture Kieft
was virged by some brutal spirits in his community to take advantage of
the opportunity to punish the river Indians for several offences, but

56 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

others, notably De Vries, advised against such action. Public opinion
at Manhattan had long been divided on the question of the treatment
to be accorded the Indians, and now upon the presentation of a formal
petition by a few who assumed to speak for the whole commiinity the
General decided in favor of inflicting a terrible punishment upon the de-
fenceless refugees, and issued the following orders:

"Whereas, the inhabitants in our neighborhood continue to reside in
the country under great alarm, and cultivate their land in anxiety,
through fear of the savages, who now and then have murdered some of
them in a most villainous manner, without any previous provocation, and
we cannot obtain any satisfaction for these massacres; we must therefore
appeal to our anns, so that we may live here in security. In the full con-
fidence that God will crown our rcsohitions with success; moreover, as
the commonality solicits on the 22nd day of February, 1643, that we
may execute the same; we therefore hereby authorize Maryn Andriasen,
at his request, to attack a party of savages skulking beliind Corker's
Hook, or plantation, and act with them in every manner as they deem
proper, and the time and opportunity shall permit.

"Sergeant Rodolf is commanded and authorized to take under liis
command a troop of soldiers, and lead them to Pavonia, and drive away
and destroy the savages being behind Jan Evertsen's, biit to spare, as
much as possible, their wives and children, and to take the savages pris-
oners. . . . The exploit is to be executed at night, with the great-
est caution and prudence. Our God may bless the expedition."

No pen can fully describe the hoiTors of that night between the 25th
and 26th of February. Crossing over to Pavonia, the soldiers silently
surrounded the camp of the refugee Tappans and HavcrstrawB, who
were already mourning the death of fathers and sons at the hands of the
Mohawks, and siiifering privations attendant upon being driven from
their homes in mid-winter. At midnight the massacre began. Captain
De Vries, the proprietor of Vriesendael, in the country of the Tappans,
was a distiint eye-witness. He was at Director-General Kieft's that
night. When seated at table that evening the commander had told his
guest of a desire to make the savages "wipe their chops." De Vries had
remonstrated long with him, especially pointing out what the result of
"jangling with the Indians" on the Delaware and Staten Island had
been. "You will go," said he, "to break the Indians' heads, but it is
our nation that you are going to murder." Kief t answered that the Cap-

INDIAN WARS. S7

tain might be assured there woiild be no danger. As the night advanc-
ed, after the sokliers and anned civilians had left, he took a seat in the
iiitchen by the fire. "At midnight I heard loud shrieks," he wrote in
his journal, "and went out to the parapet of the fort and looked toward
Pavonia. I saw nothing but the flashing of the guns. I heard no more
the cries of the Indians. They were butchered in their sleep." He re-
entered the house, with his heart aching for his poor friends, the Tap-
pans. Presently an Indian, with his squaw, who had li\'ed near Vries-
endale, came into the room. He had escaped from the slaughter in a
skiff. "The Fort Orange Indians have fallen on us," said he, "and we
nave come to hide ourselves in the fort." "It is no time to hide in the
fort — No Indians have done this deed. It is the work of the Swanne-
kins — the Dutch," answered De Vries, as he led them to the gate.

Eighty human beings were murdered that night at Pavonia, and
thirty at Corlaer's Hook, under the most horrible circumstances. Some
of those who escaped instant death and dragged their mutilated bodies
towards the fort, not realizing that it was the lair of their enemies, had
had their hands struck off; some were found with legs missing; others
"were supporting their entrails vnth their hands."

Unwilling to believe at first that the Christians had committed the
shameful deed, the red men burned with hatred when they realized the
truth. The hatchet was raised, war whoops rang through the land; the
white invaders should be made to know the power of the race they had
despised. Eleven tribes, including the Tappans and Haverstraws — than
whom none were more furious — allied themselves for revenge. The in-
cautious Kieft when giving orders for the massacres had not reckoned
on the consequences to his own people. Scattered among the Indians
for thirty miles north and east and twenty west and south, were now
many small settlements and detached cabins. Among these the toma-
hawk, scalping knife and firebrand were soon committing deeds no less
horrible than the atrocities which the Christians had perix?trated. Erom
the Ramapo to the Connecticut the cries of agonized mortals and the
flames of desecrated hearths ascended to heaven; and the directors at
Fort Amsterdam realized that in signing the deaiJi warrants of innocent
natives they had also signed the death warrants of their own countr^micn.

Among the places burned was Captain De Vries' private plantation;
his cattle, tobacco, haystacks and everything except his house was de-
stroyed. His workmen and their families saved themselves by taking

58 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

refuge in the dwelling, which they successfully defended until an In-
dian, coming late on the scene, intei-posed to save the dwelling and re-
lated how Captain De Vries had once befriended him. The assailants
ceased firing; then with signs of regret and good will departed. The
mediator was the Indian who had come to De Vries at the
Governor's on the night of the Pavonia massacre. Uiwn his first
meeting with the Governor, De Vries asked him if he did not now see
that he had made a mistake. Kieft made no answer. With the bodies
of his countrymen strewing the forests, with the fort crowded with fugi-
tives, and as many as could go hastening to return to Holland, the ciTor
that had been committed was only too apparent. The commander-in-
chief was reproached on every hand; even his life was in danger.

When the carnage had continued about a week, three Indians with
a white flag came to the fort and asked that commissioners be sent to a
conference with their cliiefs, on the seashore, some miles away. Two
representatives were sent, one being Capt. De Vries. They an-ived at
the appointed place that evening, but the council did not meet until the
next morning. Then sixteen chiefs placed themselves in a circle around
the whites, and one, who had a bimdle of small sticks in his hand, com-
menced a speech. "He related," \vrites De Vries "that when we first
arrived on their shores we were sometimes in want of food; they gave
us beans and corn, and let us eat oysters and fish, and now for recom-
pense we murdered their people. Here he laid down one little stick —
this was one point of accusation. The men who in your first trips you
left here to barter your goods until yoiir return, these men have been
treated by us as we Avould have done by our eyeballs. He laid down an-
other stick." . . . The result of the conference was the going of
all the chiefs to see the Governor at the fort, where other warriors,
among them a party of Tappans and Hackensack chiefs and leaders, join-
ed the council. Peace was ostensibly made, presents were exchanged —
but everything was not satisfactory to the Indians, and they left grum-
bling. One presently came back and gave warning, but hostilities were
suspended until September, when nine Indians, believed to have been
Tappans, killed four soldiers unawares at Pavonia, and bunied all the
houses there. They carried a Dutch lad captive to Tappan. War with
all its horrors was resumed. The father of the Dutch boy came with
the Governor to De Vries, to beg him to go to the Indians and free his

INDIAN WARS. 59

son. With two Indians the proprietor of Vriensendael sailed in a pri-
vateer to Tappan, and returned in safety with tlie child.

Resolved to stay no longer in a land where he had experienced so
many sorrows and losses, De Vries went to General Kieft and bade hira
farewell, saying that "vengeance for innocent blood which he had shed
in his murderings would sooner or later come on his head." He sailed
on a fisherman's vessel to Virginia, "in order to proceed from thence to
Europe," and Rockland county knew him no more. He was evidently a
just as well as enterprising man.

Fifteen hundred warriors were now on the warpath, and to oppose
them the Dutch had no more than three hundred men, including about
fifty soldiers. Many Christians had fled back to Holland. The bar-
barians swept tlie country, and by destrojang all that had not been de-
stroyed before, made it utterly desolate. In one way and another, but
principally by capture, they had well equipped themselves ^vith gTins and
ammunition. Unburdened by their families, who had been sent far into
the interior, they were free to execute vengeance. Even the Mohawks
now feared them and came not near. Fort Amsterdam would have fallen
an easy prey had it been attacked, and the gan-ison, with little ammuni-
tion, expected every day to be overwhelmed. Not a plough could be put
in the ground, and no one dared go far from the fort alone. Exactly
when or under what circumstances Vriesendael, the first white settle-
ment in Rockland county, met its fate is unknown. It went down in tlic
general crasli. Let us liope that but few if any souls perished at its fall.

"WTint doth the Indian love? Revengie.

What doth he fight for? Revenge.

WhaJt doth he pray for? Revenge.

It is sweet as the flesh of a young bear;

For this he goes hungry, roaming the desert.

Living on berries, or che\ving the rough bark

Of the Oiak, and drinking the slimy pool."

In his extremity the Director-General asked the commonality to se-
lect an advisory committee from their number, and eight men were ap-
pointed to aid Eeft with their counsel. One of their first acts was to
send an appeal for help to Holland, but they did not neglect to cliarge
the Director with bringing on hostilities with the Indians without suf-
ficient cause, and to demand his removal. In May (1644) unexpected
help arrived in the fonu of a Dutch man-of-war, which landed a force of
150 soldiers, together witli fifty other armed men. The Dutch sought
diligently to secure peace with the Indians, but the war continued with

60 HISTORY OF ROCKL,AND COUNTY.

all the incidents of such a struggle until August, 1645, during all of
which period the river Indians were masters of their country, except
at Fort Amsterdam. Fort Orange was outside of the field of carnage.
On August 30, as the result of previous negotiations, the sachems of the
surrounding tribes came to a council at Manhattan. In a pleasant glade
outside the fort the sacliems of the Haverstraws and Tappans, with dele-
gates from Long Island, Oritany of the Hackensacks, Aepjen, chief of
the Mahicans proper, who also represented the Sint Sings, Wappingnecks
and other east side tribes of the river, besides some mediators from the
Iroquois confederacy, had a long "talk" with the Governor and his advis-
ors, and as the result Christians and barbarians bound themselves sol-
emnly and finnly to keep the peace thereafter. No white man should
go armed to an Indian village without permission; no armed In-
dian to approach a Christian's dwelling. Each party pledged to apply
in case of difficulty to the proper authorities, so that justice could be
administered. The sixth of September following was observed in the
churches as a day of thanksgiving. The hatchet was buried and the Eu-
ropean had come to stay.

CHAPTER VI.

APPORTIONING THE LANDS.

Second Attempt at Colonization — The English Seize the Province — The
Christian Patented Lands of Haverstraw— Town of Orange — Apportioning the
Lands — Beginnings of Government — List of Pioneers — Life in the Wilderness —
Colonel Mac Gregorie.

WILLIAM KIEFT, as Director-General, or Governor, of the prov-
ince, was in May, 1047, superseded by Peter Stuyvesant, who
had for several years been in the service of the West India
Company, as Director of its colony at Curacoa, off the coast of Soutli
America. The new officer was distinguished for bravery as well as en-
ergy, and had lost a leg in fighting the battles of his country. For three
months Kieft tarried at Fort Amsterdam, and when he sailed it was not
for a safe voyage home to Holland, but to be shipwrecked and drowned
on the coast of Wales. Immediately upon Stu^Tosant's accession he

References: N. Y. Hist. Soc. Does. — Rnttenber's Indian Tribes of Hudson's
River — O'Callaghnn's New Netherlard — 0e Vries' .Journal — Brodhead's New
York.

APPORTIONING THE LANDS. 61

determined upon a reform in tlie manner of government that would re-
lieve him of some of the responsibility and perliaps enable him to avoid
the mistakes into wliieli his predecessor fell. He organized a council
representative of and chosen by the commonality, and consisting of nine
members. The council suggested various important measures for the
upbuilding of the province to which the Governor gave his consent, and
in carrying out which he gained the good-will of the Indians so lately in
revolt, and restored harmony among all classes. But at best it was an
autocratic government. The governors sent out were merely managers
in a commercial corporation, who at least until now had given little con-
sideration to the welfare of independent settlers, or to matters not con-
nected with the traffic which their company carried on — "the hardy, ad-
venturous, lawless, fascinating fur trade." The result of that policy
had been physical and financial disaster, and now a new start must be
made along a different line. The wishes of the "people" should hence-
forth be more consulted, and some special advantages should be held out
to home builders.

The farmer upon his arrival with his family from over the sea was
now granted by the Company for the tenn of si.x years a "Tjouwerie," or
farm, which was partly cleared and a good part of it fit for the plough.
The Company then furnished the farmer with a house, bam, farming
implements and tools, together with four horses, four cows, sheep and
pigs, the "usufruct and enjoyment of which" the husbandman had dur-
ing the six years, when he was expected to return the number of cattle
he had received. The increase remained with him, but he was required
to pay a yearly rental of one hundred guilders and eighty poimds of but-
ter. It is stated in official papers that the people who took advantage of
this offer all prospered during the tenn of their residence on the Com-
pany's lands. But the "bouweries" remained the property of the great
corporation, and at the expiration of the term of his lease the husband-
man was expected to make new arrangements.

In this connection it is interesting to read that certain freedom and
exemptions were allowed to "all those who shall be willing to repair to
JSiew ISTctherland," but the nature of the conditions was such that only
a "privileged few" comparatively speaking, could avail themselves of the
offer. An individual might purchase of the Indian owners a tract of
land on which to plant a colony, or establish a manor, provided that he
should agree to begin the cultivation of the land within one year of the

62 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

date of purchase, and, further, that each proprietor shoukl ship to liis
plantation in the course of four years at least one hundred souls, all
above the age of fifteen. The Indians could be satisfied for their lands
by a few trifles, but the deed had to be signed by both parties to the trans-
action in the presence of some member of the Company. He who es-
tablished such a colony was to be considered a patroon or chief, in whom
were centered all the rights pertaining to the position. He could admin-
ister justice, appoint ofiicers and magistrates, arrange for the service of
a clergyman and schoolmaster, and make use of the title of his colony
according to his pleasure and qTiality, all, however, with the knowledge
and consent of the Assembly of Fifteen. A patent to authorize the dis-
posal of this feudal estate by will was to be granted to every patroon
who desired it. Avowedly the owner was a sort of feudal lord, owing
allegiance to the West India Company and to the .States General, but
independent of control within the limits of his own territory. His es-
tate could be four leagues in length on the river, and extend inland as
far as the patroon desired. Or, if he desired to have his manor on both
sides of the river, he might claim two leagues along each shore. More-
over, the Company promised not to take from the service of a pa-
troon any colonist, whether man or woman, son or daiighter, man-ser-
vant or maid-servant, or permit any other proprietor to do so, or permit
any colonist, tenant or servant to leave his patroon except by previously
written consent of the latter, during the term of contract. Shoidd any
colonist run away to another patroon, or take liis freedom without per-
mission, the Company promised to have him, so far as lay in its power,
returned to his patroon, to be proceeded against by the master according
to the circumstances of the case.

The system was a fonn of feudalism, under which the coloni.sts,
while not serfs, were far from being free and independent citizens. The
first colony in Kockland county, "Vriesendael," was organized under
this law. Director Michael Paauw in the same way had previously es-
tablished "Pavonia." Killean Van Eensselaer, with some of his brother
Directors, founded the colony called "Rensslaei-wyck." (The pri^'i-
leges of a patroon were at first restricted to the members of the Com-
pany.) The estates and fortimes of many families of the present time
had their beginning under the rule of the Dutch "West India Company.

The second attempt to foimd a colony in the territory now included
in Rockland county was begun in the year 1651, by Cornelius Wcrck-

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APPORTIONING THE LANDS. 63

hoven, who is described in the records as "Councillor of the Municipality
and ex-Schepen of the City of Utrecht," who appeared at the office of the
"West India Company at Amsterdam and declared himself Patroon of
two colonies which he intended to establish in T^Tew Netherland, "one
beginning at the Navesinck and stretching northward to the colony of
the lord of ^N'ederhorst, the other beginning at Tappan and stretching
northward through the Highlands, both subject to the conditions and
conforming to the rules lately made by the Company," quoting from the
official entry made at the chamber of Amsterdam, "and delivered to their
High: Might: for approval, or such other privileges and exemptions as
may be granted hereafter by the aforesaid Company, with the knowledge
of their High: Might:. The aforesaid Hon. Van Werckhovcn prom-
ised to act in everything properly, and for the service of the Company,
while His Honor receives on the part of the Company a promise of ev-
ery help, favor and assistance possible, in witness whereof this record has
been made on the day and in the year as above:

"The Directors of the Incorporated West India Company, to all who
shall see this or hear it read. Greeting! Know ye, that they have con-
sented and authorized, as they herewith consent and authorize, His Hon-
or, Cornelis Van Werckhoven, . . . that he may as Patroon estab-
lish a colony in New Netherland, beginning at Tappan, near the colony
of Nederhorst, and stretching northward through the Highlands, all
subject to the conditions and conforming to the rules lately made by the
Company, and submitted to their High: Might: the Lord States General
for approval as may be granted hereafter by the aforesaid Company with
the knowledge of their High: Might:. They order, charge and request
every one whom this may in any way concern not to hinder his said Hon-
or, Cornelis Werckhoven, herein, but to help, favor and assist him when
necessary, whereas this has been decided to be for the benefit of the Com-
pany. This done at a meeting at Amsterdam, the 7th of November,
1651." (The same for a colony beginning at the Navesinck and stretch-
ing northward to the colony of the lord of Nedorhoret.)

Upon revie\ving the foregoing document, the Company's Directors
at Amsterdam perceived that it was indefinitely and loosely drawn. Even
in a country where and at a time when land was so easily obtaine<l by
gentlemen of influence, it was desirable that boundaries should be more
precisely stated. Again, the distance "from Tappan into the High-

64 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

lands" was more than f onr leagues ; and finally, Baron Van dcr Capellen
had already obtained title to a part of the Navesinck country covered by
Van "Werckhoven's claim. The result was that the councillor did not
fouud a colony at Tappau, but accepted instead of the tracts asked for
an estate on Long Island, fronting on New York Bay at or near the Nar-
rows.

Kockland county was not destined to have a lord's "manor," or to
receive a colony of any kind under the Dutch dispensation. New Eng-
land under the English Massachusetts Company was flourishing, but
New Netherland, under the Dutch West India Company, after forty
years of possession, was but very slightly advanced. Rockland county
merely shared the general backwardness of the province. Tlie next and
last decade of feudalism in the Hudson valley was attended by better
progress, which was due in part to modifications in the government, as
well as to the subsidanco of Indian troubles. T\leanwhile the English
had been making aggressions; their field of influence had extended to
J.ong Island and the western part of Connecticut; the right of Holland
to possess even the Hiidson river valley was denied. "Maryland," de-
clared Lord Baltimore's Secretary, "extends to the limits of New Eng-
land." "And New England, so they claim, doth extend to Maryland,"
answered the Dutch envoy; "where then remains New Netherlands"
The question was determined in the year 1664, when a sort of bucca-
neering expedition sent from England by the Duke of York demanded
and received the surrender of the country.

The English forces, which consisted of thi-ee ships of the line and
one armed transport carrying three full companies, commanded by Col-
onels NicoUs, Carr and Cartwright, sailed from Portsmouth for Gar-
diner's Bay on the 15th of May. Before proceeding on to the Hudson,
Colonel Nicolls demanded military aid from the English authorities in
New England, and designated the west end of Long Island as the place
of rendezvous. Although Holland received timely warning of the ex-
pedition, no measures were taken for the protection of the colony. The
West India Company at Amsterdam saw the danger of the situation, but
was powerless to send out an ojjposing force, while tlie Dnteli jieople at
large in Holland seemed to take but little interest in the matter, 'i'en
weeks had been consumed in the voyage across the ocean, but the squad-
ron did not appear at the moiith of the Hudson until about the middle

APPORTIONING THE LANDS. 65

of August. The troops were landed at New Utrecht T3ay, a spot since
hirtorical as the place of Lord Howe's landing- in 1776. Here NicoUs,
the commander of the land force, waited \intil joined b\ militia from
Mas.sachusetts, Connecticut and Long Island. The strength of the Eng
lish being overwhelming, the futility of resistance was apparent to all
in Xew Amsterdam, thoiigh Stuyvesant would have made a figlit vAth
his little force had he not been dissuaded by the earnest appeals of the
citizens.

The terms of capitulation, which wci-e ratified on the 29tli of Au-
gust, confinned the inhabitants in the possession of their property, the
exercise of religion and their freedom as citizens. The first act of Col-
onel Nicolls on taking possession was to give orders that the city of New
Amsterdam be henceforth called New York and the fort Fort James.
At this time the population of the city did not exceed fifteen hundred
souls, and the pro^dnce ten thousand, while the number of the Eng-
lish in New England exceeded sixty thousand. Colonel Cartwright took
a force xvp the river and received the surrender of Fort Orange, tlie name
of which was changed then to Albany, in honor of a title of the Duke
of York, brother of Charles the Second and heir apparent to the throne.
While the colony had been changed at one stroke from a Dutch to an
English possession, it must not be presumed that institutions that had
been established for half a century as quickly disappeared to make way
for new ones. The Dutch impress had been too deep for that. The
people of that nationality remained, and in the course of years many
came from the old coimtry to join them, notwithstanding the change of
flag. For a generation or more they continued to be the leaders in local
affairs. It has often been said that the colony became flourishing only
after the English took possession, which is tiiie; but the principal ele-
ment in the colony continued to be the Dutch. Under opportunities
that had been denied them by the old flag, the sturdy. God-fearing
and industrious people worked out successful careers in this region, and
left an honored name. Dutch was still the prevailing language in
many places a century or more later. At the old church at Tappan the
services on alternate Sundays were conducted in the Dutch language
until 1830. The patent of the Duke of York, for whom Governor
Nicolls acted as personal representative, authorized him to make and
execute all laws Jiecessa.ry for carrying on the government ; but while
possessing arbitrary power, the new governor chose to show moderation

66 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

and at the same time discretion. Ilis principal task was to bring the
IJutch people under the English laws, as promulgated by the Duke of
York, but the code was only gradually applied in practice. The changes
immediately made were more in terms than in substance, except that the
Dutch inhabitants were required to take an oath of allegiance to the gov-
ernment or suffer confiscation of their property. The time had now
come for the opening up of the territory embraced in this county. When
English i-ule began the Indians still controlled the country along the
west side of the Hudson; the white man had not yet returned to the land
from which they had once been driven.

Some time prior to July 31, 1666, a Dutch merchant in New York
city named Btilthazer De Harte purchased from the Haverstraw In-
dians practically the entire river front of their country. He bargained
with and satisfied them for all the land lying between "the hills called
Verdrietig Hook" on the south and the Highlands on the north, "on the
east side of the mountains, so that the same is bounded by Hvidson's river
and round about by high mountains." This was but one of several
tracts of land which De Harte purchased, not for a homestead or colony,
but simply to add to his possessions, and because tracts could be obtained
for a trifle that perhaps in the future could be disposed of at a profit.
Under the English law lie was not required to establish a colony there-
on, or to ciiltivate the soil, but the owner of such an estate had no spe-
cial privileges or exemptions, as imder the Dutch regime; he was not a
patroon or lord of a manor. It was a system, however, which permitted
abuses. There being no limit to the amount of land that could be "pur-
chased" from the Indians for little or nothing, an era of wholesale "land
grabbing" was a consequence at a later period. De Harte rested con-
tent Avith his Indian deed and its indefinite description until 1671, when,
desiring to have a better title, he applied to Governor Carteret and the
Council of ISTew Jersey for a patent. The general supposition then was
that Haverstraw was in the province of New Jersey, and outside of New
York. Before New Netherland had been conquered by the British, and
while the fleet that was to demand and receive the capitulation of the
country was yet upon the sea, on its way to New Amsterdam, the Duke
of York had been prevailed upon to bestow upon two of his favorites,
Sir George Carteret, then Governor of the Cliannel Island of Jei-sey,
and Lord Berkeley, who was then treasurer of the Duke's household,

APPORTIONING THE LANDS. 67

the great tract of land "hereafter to be called by the name of New Ce-
sarea, or New Jersey." The northern boimdary of the tract was de-
scribed as being from the "northernmost branch of the said bay or river
of Delaware, which is forty-one degTees and forty minutes of latitude.
. in a straight line to Hudson's river in forty-oue degrees of lat-
itude." The general understanding was at first that the boundary line
was in the vicinity of the Highlands, at or near Stony Point.

De Ilarte's original purchase covered land north as well as south of
the Minisceongo, but having sold the portion north of the creek to Nich-
olas Depiiy and Peter Marius, his application to the New Jersey author-
ities was for a patent on the remainder, whicli request was granted April
10, 1671. The sale of the other portion was subsequently ratified and
confirmed for the successors of Depuy and Marius by the authorities of
New York. The patent to De Ilarte was for a tract estimated to con-
tain 400 acres. When the owner made his will, less than a year later
(Jan. 4, 1672), he bequeathed to his brother Jacobus "all the land of
Haverstroo purchased of the Indians by the testator, and the patent
granted by Gov. Philip Carteret." When the division line between
New York and New Jersey was finally settled, Jacobus De Harte ob-
tained a patent for his Haverstraw property, his brother having died.
This document was obtained December 19, 1685. It will be noted that
while Balthazer De Harte bought from the Indians the land which was
the basis of nearly all the subsequent grants in the district, only a por-
tion of the tract passed into the possession of and was confirmed by pat-
ent to his brother Jacobus. The whole became known as the "Chris-
tian Patented Lands of Haverstraw."

On April 16, 1671 (only six days after the granting of the first De
Harte patent), Claes Jansen, who had been living in New Jersey, re-
ceived a patent for a tract of land lying on the river, "at the north end
of Tappan, at a brook, thence northeasterly along the river forty chains,"
etc., the whole containing 240 acres. It is not related that Jansen sat-
isfied the Indians for this farm, but presumably he did, though thirty
years before it had with other lands thereabouts been purchased by Cap-
tain De Vries, and, after being occupied a short time, abandoned. Dowe
Harmanse subsequently bought a farm eighty chains long and fifty
chains wide, adjoining Jansen's on the north side, also on the river front.

In 1684-5 an association headed by Governor Dongan made large
purchases of land in Orange and Ulster counties, part of it now being in

68 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

the territory of Rockland. The combined tract embraced all the river
front from the patented lands of Ilaverstraw north to Danskamnier
point, and extended twenty miles into the interior, or to the Sliawangunk
mountains. The southerly boundary extended in a northwest direction
from the Iliidson into the interior, and for that reason it is famovis in lo-
cal land titles as the Northwest Line. But not only had the Indians
previously sold to Van Courtlandt a portion of the lands which by this
sale they conveyed to Dongan's association, but they had also sold to
Patrick MacGregorie, David Toshuck, William Sutherland, William
Chambers and twenty-five others, principally Scotch Presbyterians, a
section of foiu- thousand acres, lying on both sides of Murderer's creek,
and these newcomers, being bona fide settlers, had actually taken pos-
session and erected cabins before the sale to Dongan was made. Mac-
Gregorie's own cabin was on Plum Point. Van Coiu-tlaudt was able
to prove his title to that portion of his manor then lying opposite An-
thony's Xose, but the settlers at Murderer's creek fared poorly at the
hands of the land jobbers. After they had been in possession for about
ten years, one Captain John Evans, commander of H. M. S. Richmond,
stationed in American waters, appeared and claimed all the territory that
Dongan had bought from the Indians, including the tract covered by this
settlement. In the interim MacGregorie had been killed while in the
ser\'ice of his king, his brother-in-law, David Toshuck, had died at the
settlement, and Dongan had been retired from the go^-ernorsliip of the
province. To the other settlers Evans exhibited a grant for the domain
originally made to Dongan and by him transferred to the present owner,
and the transfer confirmed by the then Governor, Benjamin Fletchev, in
consideration of five hundred pounds. Evans presinned to call the vast
estate the "Manor of Fletcherdon." Naturally, he had the Governor's
siipport in his claims, and the settlers had no better alternative than to
take leases, which they did, but not without protest.

George Lockhart was alloted 2,000 acres, under a patent dated Feb.
20, 1685. The tract had a frontage on the river, and was on the south
side of "Tappan's Sloat."

The next large grant of land in this region was for a settlement ad-
joining tlic Christian Patented Lands of Haverstraw, for a company of
immigrants from Holland, among whom were descendants or relatives
of the former patroon. Captain David De Vries. Being in numbers suf-

APPORTIONING THE LANDS. 69

ficient to demand it, they were granted a township patent, under the
name of the Town of Orange, ^vith all the powers ''practiced or belong-
ing into any town within this government." The patent was gTanted
March 20, 1686, the Indians having been previously satisfied for the
land. The proprietoi-s mentioned in the document were Cornelia Claes-
sen Kuyper, Daniel de Klercke, Peter Harnich, Gerritt Steuments, John
de Vries, Sr., John de Vries, Jr., Claes Mannde, John Stratemaker,
Staaes De Groat, Arean Lamnieates, Lamont Ariannus, Huybert Ger-
ryts, Johannes Gerrits, Eide Van Vorst and Cornelius Lammerts. The
boundaries of the town were defined as "beginning at the mouth of Tap-
pan creek, where it falls into the meadow, and running thence along the
north side of said creek to a creeple bush, and falls into Hackinsack riv-
ei-, northerly to a place called the green bush, and thence along said
green bush easterly to the lands of Claes Janse and Dowe Harmanse, and
from thence southerly along said land upon the top of the hills to the
aforementioned mouth of Tappan creek where it falls into the meadow
aforesaid." It will be observed that this settlement began with a town-
ship organization, and with a form of local civil government, the first in
the county. To what extent, if at all, the patented lands of Haverstraw
were occupied when the town of Orange came into existence is a matter
of conjecture, but the latter was by far the more considerable settlement.
The land was apportioned fairly among the families, the custom of the
country being to make an allowance for each meml)er of the family.
There was no hamlet or village at first, as each family resided apart, on
its own farm, and whenever a meeting of the inliabitants was desirable
or necessary it was held at one of the homes. The weekly prayer-meet-
ing was the earliest form of worship, and after a time there was occa-
sional preaching. In those early days the religious society was the very
center of life for the community; from it radiated the cords that bound
men's hearts together; thither they came homesick and despondent and
found strength, lo\e and joy ; it was their comfort in the wilderness, their
fortress and salvation ; witho\it the support which it afforded, how could
the pioneer settlers have suiwived?

Peace and prosperity blessed the towoi, and the growth of the com-
munity in KiO-i (Oct. 24) wan-anted the organization of a church, which
was of tlie Refonncd Protestant Dutch faith, and the first preacher was
the Rev. Guilliam Bertholf, who divided his time and services among

70 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

several commiuiities. He was the pioneer minister in New Jersey, and
all the Dutxjh people on the west side of the river soiitli of Murderer's
creek, as well as those of Tarrytown and Staten Island, were in his spir-
itual charge. Hackensack, Bergen, Raritan and Acquakanonck also re-
ceived the ministrations of this good and devoted man. Fifty-five acres
were set off for a glebe, the rentals from which would go toward the sup-
port of a minister and schoolmaster. Naturally, a hamlet grew up on
the glebe, and here the first church edifice was erected in 1716, and the
first school established; the tavern, cemetery, post office, court house
and jail followed in due time. The name of Tappan was bestowed upon
the liamlet, and the township as a whole became knouTi as ''Orangetown."
Since the first purchase of land in this region by De Harte, the prov-
ince of New York had been recaptured by the Dutch (1G73), and re-
turned again to the British by the treaty of Westminster (1674). At
the time of the founding of Orangetown the population of the whole
province was about eighteen thousand, and Thomas Dongan was His
Majesty's Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief. The population
reached as far north as Albany, and Schenectady was the remotest set-
tlement on the Mohawk. Long Island and lower Westcliester and Man-
hattan were the districts most thicklv inhabited. Dongan brought over
with him from London instructions to summon a general assembly, to
consist of not more than eighteen persons, to be chosen by all the free-
holders. This assembly was to "have full liberty to consult and debate
for all laws," but its statutes were subject to veto by the Duke of York.
The Governor was also authorized to establish courts on the British plan.
The Assembly met in Fort James, Oct. 17, 1683. In the course of the
session of three weeks fourteen acts were passed. The most important
was the "Charter of Liberties," in which declaration was made that un-
der the king and lord proprietor "the supreme legislative authority shall
forever be and reside in a governor, council and the people met in gen-
eral assembly." This was the fii-st time "the people" were recognized
"in any constitution in America," according to the King. The charter
also provided for freedom in religion, for liberty of choice in all elec-
tions, and it embodied the principle of no taxation ^rithout representa-
tion in these words: "A"o aid, tax, custom, loan, benevolence or impo-
sition whatsoever shall be levied within this province upon any pretense
but by the consent of the governor, council and representatives of the
people in general assembly."

APPORTIONING THE LANDS. 71

Twelve counties were erected, namely : New York, "Westchester, Ul-
ster, Dutchess, Orange, Albany, Ricliniond, Kings, Queens, Suffolk, all
in the present State, and Dukes and Cornwall, which are outside. All
but Orange and Ulster were thereafter to be entitled to representation
in the Assembly. Orange county was placed under the care of New
York county, and Dutchess under the care of Albany. Fom* kinds of
courts were recognized: town courts, for the trial of small causes; coun-
ty courts, a general court of oyer and terminer, and a court of chancery
to be supreme court of the province, composed of the governor and coun-
cil, with power in the governor to apjjoiiit a chancellor to act in his stead
as the presiding officer in this court.

The next land taken up in Rockland (Orange) county was the Quas-
peeck section, the Indian name for Hook Mountain and the neighbor-
ing country, including Rockland Lake, lliere was a strife for this prop-
erty, which consisted of 5,000 acres, and two associations claimed it and
showed deeds. Jarvis Marshall & Company (including William
Wealch) secured the grant in 1694. A vast tract of country immediate-
ly west of the town of Orange and the Haverstraw patents was conveyed
by deed and patent in 1696 to Daniel llonan and Michael Ilawdon.
This was called the Kakiat patent, and was the largest conveyance thus
far made in the county of Rockland. There was a law to the effect that
not more than two thousand acres should be granted to any one
person, but the provision was evaded by forming associations and other-
wise. In 1708 the great Wawayanda patent was issued for 160,000
acres of the interior of Orange county, extending from the Ulster coim-
ty line to New Jersey. A large tract called the Cheesecook lands, lying
between the Kakiat and Evans patents and west of the Christian Pat-
ented Lands of Haverstraw, was granted, for an annual rental of twenty
shillings, to an association, some or all of the members of which were in-
terested in the Wawayanda patent also. The boundary lines of the
Evans, Wawayanda and Cheesecook patents were for years in dispute,
and it was a cause of irritation among the settlers that such large grants
sliould be made in defiance of the intent of the law. Complaint was
made to the Government at London, and in 1699 the Assembly took up
the matter, annulled the Evans patent altogether, and curtailed and re-
adjusted some other large grants. The Evans tract was afterward
given out in small parcels; but even when the greatest care was exer-
cised the government was sometimes imposed upon. Of the original

72 HISTORY OF ROCKL,AND COUNTY.

Dongan-Evans tract Richard Bradley and members of his family secured
several thousand acres now contained within the bounds of Stony Point
township.

The beginning of the eigliteenth cantury found practically all the
land in the territory of the present Rockland county appropriated, and
the system of government ^\'as being gradually perfected. In 1G91 the
judiciary had lieen modified so as to permit of a justice of the peace in
every town and a coiu't of common pleas for e^'ery county. But this did
t'ot apply to Orange (Rockland) county, which for the first twenty years
after its erection was a county only in name. Orange being imder the
care of New York county, the same sheriff and other coimty ofHcers act-
ed for both. This was on account of the smallness of the population.
Governor Leislcr, to serve his own ends, during the coui-se of his remark-
able rebellion, appointed a member of his council, William Lawrence, to
represent Orange county in the Assembly of 1(391, but the county had
no real right to representation. Also in 1700 we find Orange county
with a representative in the Assembly in the person of Abram Gover-
neur. Though he siibsequently was elected Speaker of the House, it is
an open question if he was an honored representative, inasmuch as he
had been convicted of murder — and pardoned. The people were per-
mitted to choose an Assemblyman for themselves for the first time in
1702, and their choice fell upon Peter Hearing — or Hearingh, accord-
ing to the spelling of the time. It is learned from a letter of Lord Corn-
bury written from his country seat at Haverstraw, to the Lords of Trade
al London, that Theunis Talman, Esq., was High Sheriff of the County
of Orange at this time, and that, like several other sheriff's, he signed his
name \vith a mark. The ignorance of these officers was such that Lord
Cornbury wrote that he would not be able to give an account of the
number of inhabitants in the jirovince "till I have a new set of Sheriffs,
which shall be in the middle of next month, at which time I will take
care to appoint such persons as I have already put into the commissions
of the peace — 'men' (according to the 12th paragraph of my instruc-
tions) 'of good life and well affected to His Majesty's government, and
of good estates and abilities, and not necessitous people or much in debt;'
Ihen I shall be able to give such accounts as are required.''

The eninneration made under Lord Cornbury's direction in June,
1702, puiporting to include all the inhabitants of Orange county, ac-
counts for 2f5S persons. Of these 54 were males, sixteen years or over;

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APPORTIONING THE LANDS.

40 women, of wliom thirty-seven were wives and thre« widows; 57 boys
under sixteen years; 84 girls or maids; 33 negroes, men, women tiiul
cliildren, all slaves. Only five men were above sixty years; one of tliese
was Justice of tlie Peace William Merritt; another Dirck Storm, the
Clerk. One of the citizens had an Indian woman for a wife. The
names of the men in this census roll are as follows:

William Merritt,
Abram Hearingh,
Roloft' Van Howi;ten,
John Hendrickssen,
Geridt Hendrickssen,
Geridt Lambertzen,
Lowe Reynerssen,
.Tohnn Classen,
Johnnus Gerissen,
Coenrat Hanssen,
Dirck Straat,
(Josyn Hearingh,
Samuel Conklijn,
John Waard,
Pieter ]Iearingh,
John D'puy,
Gerritt Huijbrechtz,
Pouhis Tjurekssen,
Meichert Casperssen,
John Perre,
Isaac Brett,
Will: Juell, Jr.,
Arian Crom,
Floris Crom,
Cornelius Coeper,
Frans Wey,
Cleas Van Howtton,

Daniel Dc Klerck,

Thomis Eoelllzen Van Howtten,

Ilendrick Geritssen,

Herman Hendrickssen,

Lambert Arianssen,

Thonis Taelman,

Casper Janssen,

Reyn Janzen,

Jacob Cool,

Reijnier Mijnerssen,

Cornelius Hearingh,

Jacob Flierboom,

Abram Blauvelt,

Isaac Gerrissen,

Jeremiah CenilT,

John D'fries,

John Meijer,

John Hey,

Jurian Meigerissen,

Jemes Weller,

Will: Juell,

Willem Crom,

Gysbert Crom,

Albert Mimelay,

Edward Mek,

Dirck Storm,

Jacob De Klerck.
The Justices of the Peace at the time when the census was taken
were: William Men-itt, Daniel De Klerck, Theunis R. Van Ilowton
and Cornelius Clasen. One of the four being unable to write his name,
made his mark instead. Justice ifen-itt owned eight slaves, but he is
not credited with anv children. Justice Van Howton possessed two

74 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

slaves, and was blessed with six xmmarried daughters and three unmar-
ried sons. Peter Hearingh had five "gerells," one boy, and one man-
slave, in his household. Thonis Taelman kept two men-slaves. Al-
bert Mhnelay had one male and two female slaves. In brief, slaves
were owned in seventeen families. In regard to the total number of in-
habitants of the county, there are reasons for doubting that the num-
ber was correctly given. For instance, the names of none of the
Scotch and Irish families composing the Miirderer's creek colony appears
in the census report. This settlement lay partly in Orange and part-
ly in Ulster coimty, and had existed without interruption since 1GS4,
when Col. MacGregorie, his brother-in-law "and twenty-five others
. . settled themselves, their families and sundry of their servants,
on lands . . . and peaceably and quietly possessed and enjoyed
themselves during the terms of their natural lives," as a paper signed
by Mrs. Mac Gregorie bears witness. Moreover, the lady expressly
states that her residence was "in the county of Orange." Here is clear
proof that the alleged census did not account for all the inhabitants of
the county. It is even doubtful if every person south of the Highlands
was included. In 1693 it was officially reported that Orange county
contained "no more than twenty families, free-holders, all living in
Orangetown." This we know was an error. From the use of the word
"freeholders," however, there is a possible inference that only proprietors
were considered in the enumeration.

The pioneers of Orangetown and Haverstraw had by tliis time be-
come well settled in their ways of life. The children they had brought
with them into the wilderness were well on to manhood and woman-
hood; some had founded homes of their own. The schooling the boys
and girls received was sturdy, though limited. It was an era when book-
learning was not so needful for the fonner as physical streng-th for
labor, wit for trade, and skill in woodcraft and farming; and for the
girls expertness in household duties. Dutch customs prevailed; the
Dutch element still led in business and government. According to the
standard of the age, the people lived in comfort; the virgin soil yielded
abundant croi>s; game and fish were plentifid in forest and stream; the
necessaries of life were easily obtainable. The Indians for the most
part had retired into the interior, and now gave the colonists little or no
trouble. There were marryings and givings in marriage; there were
christenings and betrothals; days of labor in the field, evenings of con-

APPORTIONING THE LANDS. 75

Acrsation, meditation and prayer about the fire-place; besides the Sab-
bath walks to and from religious meetings, social gathering-s and wayside
chats, hoiTsehold hopes anil sorrows; the incidents of daily life can easily
be imagined.

Already the county had produced one man of note — a prototype of
George Clinton. Patrick MacGregorie had not long resided on Plum
Point, in the Murderer's creek settlement, when the Governor called
him to be the Muster-General of the Militia of the province. Before
coming across the sea he had fought for his king in France. In Jime,
1(586, when much irritation existed between the French in Canada and
the authorities of New York, MacGregorie was commissioned to lead
a trading party to the Ottawa country; overtake a party that had gone
out the previous year, and bring both expeditions back to Albany. He
was ordered not to distiu'b or meddle with the French. Below Fort St.
Joseph, at "the Detroit of Lake Erie," MacGregorie and his party of
twenty-nine Christians, six Indians and eight prisoners were seized as
trespassers by a superior force of French troops, taken to Fort Niagara
and sent thence to Montreal, not to be released until the Fall of the fol-
lowing year, when there was an exchange of prisoners. In 1688 he ex-
ecuted an important mission to Canada for Governor Andros of ]\Ias-
sachusetts. Though not a resident of Massachusetts, he was selected for
this duty because of his special fitness. In 1689, ^vith the rank of Lieu-
tenant-Colonel, he was on duty in Maine and subse(]uently at Boston
during the "secession" agitation, with Captain George Lockhart and
Major Brockholls, all New York officers. In March, 1691, Colonel IMao
Gregorie was ordered to proceed with his regiment to New York city,
"to assist in maintaining the King's government" against Gov. Leisler,
who was in rebellion. On the 17th of the month T^eisler with his own
hand fired one of the guns of the fort at the King's troops, as they stood
on parade. This was followed by a furious cannonade and volleys of
musketry. The fire from the fort was answered from without, and in
firing one of the cannon six persons were killed. One was Col. ^fno
Gregorie. His widow continued to reside on Plum Point, whicli with
a considerable estate was confirmed to her by the government.

References: Holland Documents. Colonial Documents. Ruttenber's

Orang'e County. Schuyler's Colonial New York. "The Eng-lish in New York,"

by .7. A. Stevens. B. Tnckerman's "Peter Stuyvesant." Roberts' New York.

Lewis Beach's Cornwall. Brodhead's New York . Cole's Rockland County. \

76 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTEK VII.

COLONIAL GOVERNMLNT.
Courts and Coiirt-Houses — Precincts Kstablislied — Names of Officers and
Represent^^tdves — First Boatls — C'oloniail Prices — Religfiious Influences — Fla.mily
Customs — General and Local Laws — Public Improvements — French and Indian
War — Militia System.

TT TlTH the year 1703 a new era of government began for the coun-
Vy ty. Although erected in 1683, not until 1703 was Orange
permitted to exercise all the rights and privileges granted to
other coimties. The first meeting of the Court of Sessions and Pleas
was held at Tappan (Orangetown) on April 28, 1703, Judge William
Mcrritt and Judge John Merritt sitting. These judges had been ap-
pointed by Governor Combury. The first recorded meeting of the
Board of Supervisors was held April 27, of the same year; — present,
"William Merritt, John Merritt, C^ornelius Cooper, Theunis Van IIow-
ton, Thomas Bun-oughs, Michael Hawdon, justices; John Perry, Sher-
ifp; William Iluddleston, clerk; Conradt Hanssen, constable. In June
(1703) a general law was enacted that there should be "elected and
chosen once every year, in each town, by the freeholders and inhabitants
thereof, one of their freeholders and inhabitants to compute, ascertain,
examine, oversee and allow the contingent, public and necessary charge
of each county, and that each and every inhabitant, being a freeholder
in any manor, liberty, jurisdiction, precinct and out-plantation, shall
have liberty to join his or their vote with the next adjacent town in
the county, where such inhabitants shall dwell, for the choice of a sup-
ervisor." The same enactment also provided that there should be annu-
ally chosen "in each town, ward, manor and precinct, by the freeholders
and inhabitants thereof, two assessors and one collector." The elections
were called for the first Tuesday in April, "or on such other days as were
appointed by charters and patents." Tlie annual meetiiig of the Board
of Supervisors was appointed for the first Tuesday in October. A coun-
ty treasurer was to be chosen by the Supervisors.

Soon after the organization of the town of Orange the inhabitants
of the adjoining patents, inchuling Ilaverstraw, were attached to it,
and this connection was not broken until 1719, when Ilaverstraw was
made a separate precinct, with boundai'ies described as "from tlie north-

COLONIAL GOVERNMENT. 77

crmost bounds of Tappaii to the northermost boimds of Haverstraw."
The Town of Orange continued to be the only organized township in the
county until 1714, when Goshen was founded as a township; then the
adjoining patents were legally attached to it, and the whole made and
constituted the Precinct of Goshen. Tappan was the county-seat, and
the county and general courts assembled there exclusively until 1727.
The first count}' building was erected in 1703, being a court house and
jail combined. When it became necessary to elect a member of As-
sembly the polls were opened at Tappan only, and qualified electors in
order to vote were required to go thither from all parts of the county.
The Sheriff presided over the ballot box and declared the result. Only
freeholders could vote for an Assemblyman, and it was not required that
they should be actual residents. A freeholder could vote in any and
every county where he had property — ''lands or tenements improved to
the value of forty pounds" — free from all incumbrances. The polls
were kept open several days, to enable all who desired to appear and vote.
The non-resident property-owners could also vote with the inhabitants for
towm officers.

Beginning in 1727, courts were held alternately at Goshen and Tap-
pan as a matter of convenience, but the polls for the election of the Mem-
ber of Assembly continued to be at Tappan only until 1749, when
they were opened at Goshen also, and for not less than four, nor for more
than six days, at each place. The court house in Orangetowni was re-
built, at an expense of £300, in 1737, when the population of the coun-
ty had increased to about three thousand, and at the same time a court-
house and jail for the convenience of the inhabitants north of the High-
land M'as erected at Goshen. The county records remained in Orange-
town, and there the principal official business of the county was trans-
acted. The precinct of Goshen included all the territory of the coim-
ty not attached to Orangetown and Haverstraw; in other words, the ter-
ritory north and west of the mountains, from the Hudson riwr to the
Delaware. But the precincts of Goshen and Orangetown should not
be confounded with the towms themselves. The Cornwall, Warwick
and Greycourt neighborhoods, for example, while in the precinct of Go-
shen, yet formed no part, of Goshen town. The jurisdiction of the pre-
cincts of Orangetown and Haverstraw corresponded very nearly to the
territory of the present Eockland county.

78 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

In the Colonial Assembly the county was represented by one mem-
ber until 1726; thereafter by two. Among the early Assemblymen
were Peter Haring, Koris Crom, Cornelius Haring, Henrtrich TenEyck.
Cornelius Cooper, Lancaster Symes, Vincent Matthews, Abram Haring,
Theodorus Snedeker, Gabriel Ludlow, Thomas Gale, Henry Wisner, Se-
lali Strong, John DelN'oyelles, John Coe. Among the county judges
following the Merritts, were John Corbett (1710), Peter Haring and
Cornelius Haring (1717), Vincent Matthews of Goshen, James Jack-
son of Goshen, Abram Haring and John Haring. The Haring family
was exceptionally prominent in public life in colonial times. Among
the County (^Icrks who followed Stonu and Huddleston were Gerardus
Cluwes (1721), Thomas Pullen (1723), Vincent Matthews of Cornwall
(1726), Gabriel Ludlow (1735), Vincent Matthews (1736), David Mat-
thews (1763). Among the Sheriffs were Floris W. Crom (1690), Stan-
ley Handcock of New York (1694), John Peterson (1699), Thcunis
Van Howton (1702), John PeiTy (1703), Jeremiah Caniff (1706), Cor-
nelius Cooper (1708), Cornelius Haring (1709), Timothy Halstead
(1718), William Pullen (1730), Michael Dunning of Goshen (1737),
Thadeus Snedeker (1739), Joshua Sackett of Cornwall (1747), John
Lawrence of Cornwall (1756), Daniel Everett of Goshen (1758), Dan-
iel Denton of Goshen (1761), Isaac WoodhuU of Cornwall (1764), Je^se
Woodhiill of Cornwall (1772). Among the early Supervisors of Or-
angetowii were Renear Kisaike (1722), Cornelius Haring (1723-8), Cor-
nelius Smith (1729-31), B,arent Naugell (1732-3), Gabriel Ludlow
(1734-8), Henry Ludlow (1740-6), John Ferdon (1747), Adolph Len*-.
(1748-57), David Blauvelt (1758-9), Daniel Haring (1760-3).

When the mind runs back to the first half of the eighteenth century
in Rockland (Orang^e) county the people are found in the enjoyment of
an existence which in spite of c^ertain -sdci&situdes and even some depriva-
tions must have approached very nearly the acme of earthly happiness
for the average man. When all the circumstances by which their lives,
their desires and their affairs were limited and shaped are considered,
and when a proper estimate is made of the large measiire of elements
essential to contentment that was accorded to them, it will be perceived
that after the rough edges of a new country had been smoothed away,
when the paths and lanes to neighbors' homes, to the Glebe and to the
riverside had become a bit worn, when the barns biilg-ed with the har-
vests, and cattle grazed on a hundred hills, when fine white curtains hung

COLONIAL, GOVERNMENT. 79

in tlic windows, and there was plenty to eat and to wear, colonial life was
on the whole very satisfactory. What is called in modern times "the strug-
gle for existence" was tlien almost unknown; the cruelties of competi-
tion had all been left behind in the old world. Xot only were the neces-
saries of life easily obtained, but wealth came to every home by natural
increase. "Built before the Revolution" is the legend on a number of
fine mansions that have survived to testify of the prosperity of the period.
Even the illiteracy of the fathers, which was more apparent than
real, was but anotlier sign of the easy-going life. Men must be judged
by the age in which they live.- The colonial folk of the first and second
generations not only had every material comfort, but also peace of mind ;
they had an independence of which no man could deprive them; they
had an assured future for themselves and a good heritage for their chil-
dren. Order, dignity, refinement and Christian fellowship ornamented
their daily life. Their estates embi'aced the most beautiful countiy
conceivcai)le, with geographic and climatic situation unsuqiassed, and
their descendants have been content to live in the same place these many
generations since.

The wealth which nature bestowed comprised horses, cattle, sheep,
fowl, lumber, grain, hay, wool, furs, hides, pork, bacon, lard, beef. Some
of the products could be exchanged for siigar, molasses, tea, coffee, and
general supplies at the store, and some could be converted into money
on shipment to New York. At Tappan Slote was the boat landing, but
if one preferred riding, there was the King's highway, — and Paulus
Jlook was only thirty miles away. This highway had developed in the
natural course of events from an Indian trail to a settlers' path, and at
length to a passable road for horsemen. It connected the various set-
tlements along the west side of the river. It may be assumed that the
route of the old highway was virtually "engineered" by the red men,
perhaps centuries before the Europeans came. From Tappan it pro-
ceeds to Haverstraw, passes on to Stony Point, winds through Doodle-
toAvn to Fort Montgomery and West Point, climbs over Cro'nest and
Storm Xing — to Cornwall, Moodna, Plum Point, the "Parish by Quae-
saick" (Newburgh), and so on to Esopus, Catskill and Albany. As the
back country grew up, the Ramapo Clove road, another natural higb-
Avay, became uiore and more traveled. This was the way to Goshen.
Three highway commissioners for each town were provided for by a gen-
eral law enacted in 1091. The Commissioners in 1730 were: For

80 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Tappan — T\oynicr Keyserryck and Rocloff Van Honten; for Haver-
straw — Cornelius Kuyper and Jonathan Kosc. Every male inhabitant,
inchiding freeholders not actually residing in the county, was required to
work five days in each year on the roads or furnish a man.

Ilavcrstraw and Xyack as well as Tappan had their early landing
places for sloops, to which roads led. The river shore at Haverstraw was
particularly beautiful in colonial times.

An idea of the economic conditions prevailing before the Revolu-
tion can be obtained from the price-lists for land, farm products, store
goods and labor. Land values were of course very low. The Indians,
as has been observed, released their real estate for very slight considera-
tions. In 1755 Aure Smith sold his large farm, lying between South
Nyack and Sparkill creek, and fronting on the river-shore, to Gerrett
Ondcrdonk for £350, including buildings. In 1716 Cornelius Cooper
sold 330 acres of good land for £34, 15s. In 1753 Peter Gresler sold
225 acres (at Valley Cottage) for 45s. an acre. The capital required by
a pioneer when he had secured his land was small. A yoke of oxen was
valued at $70; a cow at $15; indispensable farming tools, $20, and an
ox-cart, $30. A log house containing four rooms could be built for
about $200. Wheat was reckoned at three shillings a bushel. Four shil-
lings was the price of a day's labor for a mechanic. Sixty dollars would
buy a horse. Tailors charged six shillings for making a pair of breeches,
eight shillings for making a coat. "For the use of a horse, three pence
per mile for 153 miles." " For ride of my mare, 20 miles, six shillings,
eight pence." Farm hands were paid eight to eleven dollars per month
when they could be obtained. The rate paid for help in the haying sea-
son was fifty cents per day. At the saw mills ordinary timber was worth
$3.50 per thousand.

The best economy advised home manufacturing to every possible
extent. The farmer himself made everything he needed as far as he
could, and called on his neighbors to help him in emergencies. Where
he left off the blacksmith and wagon-maker, the saw mill and grist mill
took hold. Each coniinunity necessarily was in a large degree self-sup-
porting. A blacksmith not only made shoes for horses, and iron for
wagons, but to him the farmers went for their forks and rakes also.
Ever}' farmer's \nfe saw that yarn was provided for stockings and mit-
tens, as well as flannel for imderwear. Some homes had looms for weav-
ing a coarse cloth. This huge machine was kept in a room apart, or

COLONIAL GOVERNMENT. 81

under the sloping roof of the "bock stocp," Cliildren Avere set at work
as soon as they were able to spin and card. Itinerant weavers were often
hired to operate the loom. In later years mills to card the wool into
rolls, and also to color, fnll and dress the cloth, were common through-
out the country.

The slaves were decently treated and did not feel their bondage.
Anything else than kind treatment was impossible from their God-fear-
ing masters. Indians were occasional visitors. Once a year the tribes
were permitted to visit Manhattan. People came long distances to the
Dutch Reformed Church at Tappantown. The first edifice was erected
during the ministration of the Eev. ]Mr. Bertholf. It was constructed of
stone. When the first settled pastor, the Rev. Frederic Muzelius, came,
in 1724, services were held each Lord's day, morning and afternoon.
The slaves sat in the gallery, and the minister usually had some words
for their particular benefit. Religious exercises and observances, and
church affairs in general, filled a large part of life. The privilege of
hearing the gospel expounded was a priAalege indeed. Sabbath observ-
ance was strict, the whole time being spent as the catechism commanded.
The day was not ended until the catechism had been recited in whole or
part in the family circle, portions of Scripture read, and the blessing of
the Heavenly Father asked on bended knee.

Apart from religious exercises, the Dutch had many pretty customs.
The birth of a child was announced to the neighborhood by hanging an
elaborately trimmed pin cushion on the knocker of the front door, a blue
cushion to signify a boy, a white one for a girl. The cushion may have
been brought from the Dutchland, or made by the grandma or auntie;
at any rate, the practice was to hand it down from one generation to
another, it being as handsome as taste and skill could devise. A cushion
having many names and dates embroidered upon it constituted a sort of
ianiily record. At the same time, the head of the house saw that the
record in the family Bible was complete. Each birth was celebrated in
due season by a caudle party. Elaborate preparations were made for the
feast. Cookies, "aclilerlingen," krullers and "olykoecks" were made in
great number, biit the particular dainty of the occasion was the "caudle,"
the component elements of which were a secret in every family. A
recipe that has been handed down in one family specifies three gallons
of water, seven pounds of sugar, oatmeal, spice, rasins, lemons by the
quart, and two gallons of the best Madeira wine. This seductive and

82 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

sometimes bcAnlderlng mixtiirc was served in a large bowl, around which
were hung quaint little spoons, so that each person could ladle out enough
for his china cup to hold, and at the same time fish out a plump raisin
or a bit of citron. The bowl and spoons were kept as souvenirs.

Any festivity, business or ceremony calling for a meeting of the
neighbors was always well responded to either from a sense of duty or
for pleasiire. Such gatherings afforded almost the only relief from the
general monotony of existence in a new country. Besides, the ties of
friendship were strong, and every household religiously respected the
obligations which it owed to others in a secluded community. The cir-
cumstances attending a death among the colonists were particularly sad.
The loss of one who had left the old land and come across the sea \\dth
them, and had shared their life on the frontier of civilization, was a deep
affliction to old friends. From necessity or preference, the dead were
buried not in a one central cemetery, but each bereaved household had
a sacred enclosure on its own farm, though now obliterated and forgot-
ten. The absence of facilities for properly marking graves was one of
the misfortunes of most communities in colonial times. In the second
generation, when the church had been erected at Tappan, the church-
yard came into use as a bur^'ing-ground. In the absence of other means
of notification, it was the duty of the precentor of the congregation to
convey invitations to a funeral. The service for the dead, with the other
attendant ceremonies, was a protracted and exceedingly solemn function.
A black clotli with hea\^' tassels called a "dood kleed" was thrown over
the coffln. This pall belonged to the church. The pall-bearers literally
carried the cofiin from the house to the grave when the distance was not
too great. Each bearer was distinguished by a small white cushion on
one shoulder, held in place by bands passing across the back and breast,
and fastened under the opposite ann. After the interment, the proces-
sion returned to the house, where pipes and tobacco were distributed
among the men.

Marriages were merry festivals. The groom was required to take
out a license, and for many years it was possible to obtain one no nearer
than New York city or Esopus. The bride wore as many petticoats as
she could carry, as they were a part of her dower and a sign of prosperity.
A maiden bride wore a peculiarly shaped cro\vn of embroidered silk over
a pasteboard or metal form. The attendants of the bride were usually

COLONIAL, GOVERNMENT. 83

matrons. There is a tradition that the first yoiing man to be married in
Eockland county was Floris Crom.

Until about 1750 the church at Tappan was the only one south of
the Highlands. Then two congregations were organized within the
bounds of the present town of Ramapo, one called the "English Pres-
byterian Church," of New Hempstead, and the other was the Dutch
Iteformed Church, long known as the "Brick Church. It was a law of
the pro\'ince that there sliould be no unnecessary traveling and no servile
labor on the Lord's Day, nor any physical exercising, or any pastimes,
sports, playing, fishing or shooting. It was not lawful to travel any-
wliere except to a house of worship, or on an errand of mercy or neces-
sity, such as for the purpose of fetching a physician or nurse. Even the
journey to church coTild not exceed twenty miles. For an Indian not
professing the Christian religion there was no exemption at all; he must
not be found traveling abroad on the holy day. Violators of this law,
if freeholders, were an-ested and fined six shillings, or put in the stocks.
Servants, slaves and Indians, who could not pay the fine, were publicly
whipped, thirteen being the legal number of lashes. The stocks and
whipping-post at Tappan were long the terror of evil-doers. Vagabonds
were whipped and hurried out of the county.

The early settlers were woiTied not a littlp by the prowling of wikl
beasts, such as wolves and panthers, and the colonial statute books con-
tain numerous enactments relating to bounties for their extermination.
The evening lullaby of the cliildren was the howling of the wolves in tlie
mountains, and at night time all domestic animals had to be under cover.
At the same time there was a law against hunting deer with bloodhounds
or beagles, and when such dogs were found off their owners' premises,
they were to be killed.

Tlie poor were not neglected, though we fancy few ever felt the
pinch of poverty. The trustees of each town were constituted overseers
of the poor, and were required to annually set apart a competent sum for
relieving distress. In the absence of trustees, towns were required to
elect overseers. A law passed by the General Assembly Xovcmber 24,
1750, empowered the judges, justices and the clerk of the court of com-
mon pleas in this county to take the probate of wills and grant letters of
administration. Until then such business for this county was transacted
in New York.

84 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

An importaiit highway cntcrjirise was undertaken in 1760, when
William Ilawxlmrst and others interested with him in the Sterling Iron
Works and Mines, together with persons inhabiting and holding lands
in the county, petitioned the General Assembly for a road to be built
from the iron works across the coimty to the landing at Haverstraw.
l"he Assembly concurred in the opinion that siich a highwa}^ was not
only necessary in order to enable the persons interested in that useful
manufactory to carry on the same to perfection, bi;t it would also tend
to open a short communication to the river, to the great ease of all those
whose habitations were seated behind the highlands, and to the manifest
improvement of that part of the colony. It was therefore enacted by
the Lieutenant-Governor, the Council and ihe General Assembly that
it would be lawful for Henry Wisner, Esq., Charles Clinton, Esq., and
William Hawxhurst, or any two of them, — and they were empowered
and authorized as Commissioners, at the expense of the petitioners and
of such other persons as would voluntarily contribute, — to lay out, clear,
open, make and complete a public road or highway not exceeding three
rods in breadth, and on the shortest course, that conveniently could be
from the iron works, through the Highlands to the most convenient land-
ing place at Haverstraw on the river. The interests of Haverstraw and
of a large section of the county were greatly advanced by the construc-
tion of this thoroughfare. Charles Clinton, who was the engineer and
surveyor in charge, was the head of the family of that name Avhich
became prominent in national aimals. His home was in Little Britain,
six miles soiithwest of Newburgh. Little Britain was and still is a dis-
trict with indefinite boundaries. The Clinton home was a plain farm-
house, situated on a cross-road, midway between the main Little Britain
turnpike and the village of Washingtonville. To that place he came in
the Spring of 1731, when forty years of age, at the head of a company
of immigrants, who had sailed the preAaous year from Ireland, and tar-
ried for a while at Cape Cod. Being a man of scholarly accomplish-
ments, a good surveyor, and having a knowledge of legal forms, his ser-
vices were soon in demand throughout the surrounding country. The
first surveyor of importance in the history of Orange and Ulster counties,
he was the original surveyor of a great many lots and patents in this sec-
tion. He was prominent both in political aifairs and in the militia. At
Little Britain he raised and educated his two sons, James and George,
both of whom became generals. One commanded a division of the

FORT PUTNAM.

COLONIAL, GOVERNMENT. 85

American troops at Yorktown and received the colors of Cornwallis;
the other became the first Governor of the State and a Vice President
of the United States. All three — ^the father and the two sons — foua-ht
in Bradstrcct's expedition of 1758 against Fort Frontenac. The boys,
at the head of a small company, distinguished themselves by capturing
a French sloop-of-war on Lake Ontario.

The freeholders, having become dissatisfied with the method of levy-
ing taxes, a law was passed by the Assembly, in 1764, for a more equal
taxation in the county of Orange. Each town was authorized to elect
an assessor, who should be a member of a board of county assessors.
These assessors were required to meet annually on the second Tuesday
of April, and proceed to perform their duties in the following prescribed
manner. "They shall proceed all together from house to house through-
out the said county, till they have gone through the whole, and shall
make out a true and exact list of names of freeholders and inhabitants
of the said county; and against the name of each person they shall set
down the value of his or her estate, according to the value of the improve-
ments thereon, and of personal as nigh as they can discover the same to
be within the county, setting down for every hundred pounds real value
stated as aforesaid, four pounds, and in that proportion for a greater or
less sum."

A new precinct was added to the county by act of the Assembly,
Oct. 20, 1764, when the Precinct of Goshen was divided by "a straight
line, beginning at the borders or verge of the coimty of Ulster, near
the new dwelling of John ]\rauno, thence on a course which will leave
the house of Barnabas Ilorton, Jr., ten chains to the westward, to the
most extreme parts of said precinct; all the lands lying to the west of
said line to be Goshen Precinct, and all eastward to be called Xew Corn-
wall Precinct."

What was probably the first "fire department" in the county was
established in 1776, when the inhabitants at their annual meetings were
authorized by the Assembly to elect as many men as should be deemed
needful, to be known as Firemen, who were empowered "on view or
information of any fire happening in the woods, ^vithin their districts,
to require and command every able man to aid and assist in putting out
tlie same. If anyone refused to obey, he was to be fined three shillings,
one half nf whicli sum was to go to the firemen.

86 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

In 1769 the long-contested boundary line between the patented lands
commonly called Cheesecocks and Kakiat was settled by act of the
Assembly designating the exact boundary.

Previous to 1770, the meetings of the Board of Supervisors of the
County of Orange were held in the court house at Tappan. This place
being found by experience to be inconvenient, on account of its situa-
tion, an act was passed by the General Assembly (Dec. 30, 17C9) permit-
ting the Supervisors to meet annually on the first Tiiesday of October at
the house of Daniel Coe, at Kakiat, " and from thence adjoiu-n to any
other place near the center of tlie county as shall seem most convenient."

A law passed in 1770 specified that "whereas the ascertaining of the
quotas or proportions of each respective precinct in the coimty of Orange
towards the taxes has given occasion for disputes," it was enacted that
''from henceforth the taxes, rates and contingent expenses shall be
levied" in the following proportion. "If at any time the sum of £3,650
be raised in the said county, Goshen shall contribute £1,250, Cornwall
£620, Haverstraw £690, and Orangetown £800,— and £290 for the Pre-
cinct of Minisink."

Taverns were reqiiired to keep two spare beds, one to be a feather
bed, with proper sheeting and coverings, and good and sufiicient pro-
vision for four persons; besides good stabling and provender for four
horses. Another statute required that the wheels of a wagon should
not be less that four feet eight inches apart, and every wagon bear the
initial of its owner.

Another important highway enterprise was begun in 1773, when
John DeNoyelles, David Pye and Ann Hawkes Hay were appointed
commissioners to lay out, open and improve a highway through the High-
lands from Haverstraw to the Skunemunk clove road, and to the north
bounds of Orange county, near Murderer's Creek. Previously the road
over tlie mountains had been only a bridle path. Traveling was mainly
an horseback, wagons being few and generally of rude construction, often
with wheels cut from the end of a log.

John DeNoyelles was also one of the three commissioners appointed
by tlie Assembly of the Pro\nnce of Xew York, to act with commission-
ers appointed in New Jersey, for the purpose of ascertaining and marking
the boundary line between New York and New Jersey. The other New
York commissioners were Samuel Gale and William Wickham.

COLONIAL, GOVERNMENT. 87

The Government instituted postal arrangements at an early period.
The general letter office was at New York city, and from time to time
mail was sent out by post riders throughout their majesties' colonies and
plantations. For the post of every letter not exceeding one sheet, from
New York to Boston, or Maryland, the rate was nine pence. For not
exceeding eighty miles the postage was four pence. Alexander Ham-
ilton was deputed in 1092 by the Governor to manage the general post
office system throughout all their majesties' plantations.

The first half of the eighteenth century was an era of peace and pros-
perity for the county south of the mountains. Wealth gradually accu-
mulated and the evidence thereof could be seen in many spacious if not
pretentious dwellings. There were grist and saw mills with their great
water-wheels at favorable locations; at Tappan Slote and Haverstraw
landing were general stores — the Noah's arks of colonial commerce.
Sloops made regular trips to New York in summer, and it was the cus-
tom to lay in goods enough in the fall to last during the winter. Amid
this material prosperity, however, had arisen some political discontent,
growing out of a desire for "popular rights" which the an-ogant British
governors were disposed to deny. Although the General Assembly
faithfully represented the interests of the people at large, its members
held office during the pleasure of the governor, and until he was pleased
to dissolve the assembly, no new election could take place. Governor
(Admiral) Clinton told the Assembly that it had no authority to sit but
by the King's commission and instructions to him. Struggles over the
revenue between governor and assembly wei"e constant features of the
chronicles of New York. The liberty of the press, a principle long and
zealously contended for, was finally secured.

Trouble was brewing with the French and Indians. French emis-
saries were artfully at work among the red men, instigating depreda-
tions on the northern and western frontier, where sig-ns were frequent
that the allies were watching for opportunity of successful attack. See-
ing that the difficulties with France would cvdminate in a great war,
Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia proposed a plan of union for all
the colonies, and this was formally agreed to on July 4, 1754, in a con-
vention at Albany. The dogs of war were unchained the following
spring, four expeditions having been resolved upon: one to reduce Nova
Scotia; one under Braddock to recover the valley of the Ohio; a third,
commanded by Governor Shirley of Massachusetts, to drive the FrcMich

«^

88 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

from Fort Niagara; and a fourth, under Major-General William John-
son, to assail Crown Point. New York became tlie tlieatre of military
movement and had to bear the brunt of the war. Volunteers from the
militia of Orange and Ulster marched with the expedition across the St.
Lawrence to Fort Frontenac, and to the defences of Lake Champlain.
Tlie successful expedition against Fort Frontenac was commanded by
Bradstreet, whose force was composed of eleven hundred and twelve New
Yorkers, under Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Clinton of Little Britain
and Lieutenant-Colonel Isaac Corse of Queens, with nineteen hundred
and twenty-three other colonists, and forty-two Indians.

The strain of this long conflict on the county of Orange was severe.
Xot only was a slender population required to send forth men to the sev-
eral expeditions against tlie French, but bodies of troops were fi'equently
marched through the county, and the arbitrary system of quartering
them on citizens was oppressive. Moreover, the Indian allies of the
French turned their weapons against the frontier families, and can-ied
the war into the heart of Orange county. The section west of the Wall-
kill was for the most part "abandoned by the inhabitants," the records of
the colony state, "who, for their safety, removed their families to the
east side of the river, and became a charge on the charity of their neigh-
bors." Others moved to distant parts. Those who remained or ven-
tured beyond the Wallkill did so at the risk of their lives. Numerous
butcheries were committed in spite of the militia that were constantly
ranging the woods and the partial security offered by block houses and
forts. Heroic riflemen, as well as women and children, were often shot
down by the hidden foe. In June, 175S, a detatchment when going
from Warwarsing to Minisink was ambushed, and suffered the loss of
seven killed and three wounded, while a woman and four children were
carried off. At Westfalls, on another occasion, seven soldiers were
killed. Seventeen persons were massacred at a house where they had
sought refuge. A woman taken prisoner at Minisink Avas killed and her
body cut in halves. Two Goshen militiamen, Sutton and Rude, were
killed at Minisink; Morgan Owen was killed and scalped within four
miles of Goshen. While no atrocities were committed within the bounds
of the present Rockland county, so far as kno\vn, the precincts of
Orangetown and Haverstraw contributed their share of armed men
to the common defence. Every man within the ages of sixteen and
sixty, Tinless for good and sufllcient reason excused, was a member of the

COLONIAL GOVERNMENT. 89

militia, upon wliicli force drafts were made from time to time for men
needed in the field. The war with the French ended in ITdO. but the
depredations of the Indians continued for years after\vard. In 1703
some parts of Orange and Ulster were ravaged; people were mercile.s.sly
slain, and families, temfled, fled from their habitations. On the recom-
mendation of Lt.-Governor Golden, the Assembly commissioned Colonel
Tusten of Warwick to enlist a special company of two hundred men to
protect the frontier.

One result of the war, and of the rigid military system which Great
Britain at all times enforced throughout her American colonies, was the
training up of military leaders for the great struggle for national inde-
pendence. Every man was a soldier. Under the law, boys upon arriv-
ing at the age of sixteen, were required to enlist with the captain of the
troop or company of their district, under penalty of a fine of three shil-
lings for every month they remained out. Twice each year the com-
panies constituting a regiment or battalion were mobilized and exercised.
In 1773 Orange county had two regiments, three battalions, twenty-
three companies. The meeting place for the semi-annual general train-
ing south of the mountains was agreed on in advance by the oflficers.
Cavalrymen were required to furnish their own horses, and every soldier
was expected to keep at his home in readiness one pound of powder and
three of bullets. No miisket was to be discharged after eight o'clock at
night, except in case of alarm ; then four shots and the beating of a diinn
would call every militiaman to his colors.

References: Colonial Documents. Oolden Papers. Euttenber's Oranpfe
Connty. Colonial Laws. Cole's Rockland County. Halsey's Old New York
Frontier. Greeu'is R/ockland Coiinity. American .Vrcliiives. "The Goede \'rou\v
of Ma.niliattan," by Mrs. .1. K. V'an Rienissellaer. Roberts' New York.

90 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE ARENA OF STRIFE.
The Orangietown Resolutions — ^Portifjing- the Hig-hlands — The Militia —
Companies Raised for the Conitinental Line — Sons of Orange in the Invasion
of Canada — The Shore Guard — Oflicers of Conijxinies — Soutliern Orange Bears
the Brunt — The First Alarm — "Battle of Haverstraw" — A Naval Fight — Duty
Calls — Activities of the Tories.

THE interval between the fall of Montreal and the Battle of Lexing-
ton was less than fifteen years, which was but a short time for rest
and recuperation after five years of warfare. The political strain
meanwhile had destroyed all peace of mind. The successive acts of
oppression on the part, of the mother country were the subjects of con-
.sideration and protest in Orangetown and Ilaverstraw, as elsewhere,
wherever men met together. The sturdy, conscientious fathers spoke
not rashly. Their sense of duty as loyal citizens was put in the scale of
their judgment to weigh against their indignation at the continued injus-
tice of the ruling power. At length public setitiment was crystallized
and formally recorded in the famous "Orangetown Resolutions" of July
4, 1774. This action, which preceded the Mecklemburgh declaration
of independence by nearly a year, was taken at a meeting of citizens at
Mabie's taverv in Tappan, and it made a profound impression throughout
the colonies. The opening declarations, that they were and ever wished
to be true and loyal subjects of His Majesty, and that they were most
cordially disposed to support His Majesty and defend his cro\vm and
ilignity in every constitutional measure, is proof that the people of
Orangetown acted Avith due deliberation and had proper respect for con-
si itntcd rights. Biit however well disposed towards His ^Majesty, they
could not view late acts of Parliament without declaring their "abhor-
rence of measures so unconstitutional and big with destruction." Consid-
ering themselves in duty bound to iise every just and lawful measure
to obtain a repeal of acts so destructive, it was their "unanimous opinion
that the stopping of all exportation and importation to and from Great
P)ritaiu and the West Indies would be the most effectual methods to
obtain a speedy repeal." Colonel Abraham Lent, John Haring, Thomas
Cutwater, Gardner Jones and Peter T. Haring were appointed a com-
mittee to correspond with the city of New York, and to conclude and

THE ARENA OF STRIFE. 91

agree upon svxcli measures as they should judge necessary in order to
obtain a repeal of the acts of Parliament complained of.

The desire for liberty strengthened under continued oppression, sepa-
ration from England was resolved upon, and the Revolution came. On
Sunday evening, April twenty-second, 1775, the people of Orangetown
and ITaverstraw heard the news which hard-riding couriers had brought,
tiiat the now historic Battle of Lexington had been fouglit. Events now
moved quickly. Calls were issued for a Provincial Congress at New
York city and a Continental Congress at Philadelphia. The Orange
county delegates to tlie Provincial Congress were: From Orangetown
— Col. Abraham Lent and John Haring. Havorstraw — John Coe and
David Pye. Goshen — Michael Jackson, Benjamin Tusten, Peter Clows
and William Allison. Cornwall — Israel Seely, Jesse WoodhuU and
Jeremiah Clark.

The Orangetown representatives were chosen at a meeting hckl at
the house of Mr. Yoost Mabie, Jacob Conklin being chairman, and Dr.
Tlios. Cutwater clerk. Tlie Goshen meeting was at the inn of Isaac
Nicoll, with Peter Clows as chairman and Balth. De Heart clerk. Tlic
(/omwall meeting was at the house of John Brewster.

The Provincial Congress met at the Exchange in New York city on
May 22. Orange county being entitled to but two votes, the eleven
delegates decided among themselves how the votes should be recorded
on any question. It not being necessary that all the delegates sliouhl
1)6 present at one time, the most regular attendants were Ilaring, Lent,
Pye, Tusten and Woodhull. One of the first resolves of the Congress
was that a post be taken in the Highlands on each side of the river, and
batteries erected to prevent ships of the enemy from passing up. Col.
James Clinton and Christopher Tappen, memljers fi-om Ulster, were
ordered to go to the Highlands, taking such persons to assist them as
they would deem necessary, and view the banks of the river; then to
report to Congress the most pi-oper place for fortifications. The imjwrt-
ance of controlling the Highlands, and consequently the river, was fully
realized from the beginning. After the preliminary fights at Boston,
the principal strategy of the war on the part of the British was to divid(>
the colonies on the line of the Hudson. Nearly all the moves in the
great conflict, beginning with the landing of Howe's army on Long
Island, were parts of or incidental to that general plan. The Conti-
nental Congress, when urging New York to hasten the completion of

92 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

the Highland fortifications, transmitted a letter from General Schuyler
at Ticonderoga saying: "Should a body of forces be sent up Hudson's
river, and a chain of vessels stationed in all its extent, it would undoubt-
edly greatly distress if not wholly ruin our cause. ... To me,
Sir, every object of importance sinks almost to nothing M'hcn put in com-
petion with the securing of Hudson's river." With the valley of the
Hudson as the principal arena of the strife, and the Highlands as the
key to the situation, Orange county, of which Kockland then fonned a
part, was necessarily at the forefront of events. That she bore with
fortitude the burdens and sutferiugs, and discharged with fidelity truly
heroic the duties imposed upon her, is a part of the glorioiis history of
the nation.

The transactions of the Provincial Congress at its first session con-
sisted principally, as might be supposed, of arrangements for carrying
on the war; and although the representatives from Orange county were
prominent in the proceedings, and although many of the transactions
had a particular relation to our territory, only a few such matters may
Le here referred to. It is worthy of record, as showing the general char-
acter of the American soldiers in this war, that without exception they
were fine specimens of manhood. None others were engaged for active
seiwice in the field. "You will have great regard," said the order of
Congress, "to moral character, sobriety in particiilar. Let oiu- manners
distinguish us from our enemies as much as the cause we are engaged in."

The Congress at Philadelphia having asked New York to raise four
regiments for the Continental line, the Provincial Congress approved
of the following officers:

Fir.st Regiment — Colonel, Alex. McDougall; Lieut.-Colonel, liudol-
phus Ritzema; xVdjutant, John Brogden.

Second Regiment — Colonel, Myndert Roosebaum; LicTit.-Colonel,
Goose Van Schaack; Adjutant, Barent T. TenEyck; Quart-ennaster,
John W. Wendel.

Third Regiment — Colonel, James Clinton; Lieut.-Colonel, Edward
Fleming; Major, Cornelius I). Wyncoop.

Fourth Regiment — Colonel, James Holmes; Lieut.-Colonel, Philii)
Van Cordtlaudt; Major, Barnabas Tuthill.

An arrangement was made with Robert Boyd of Xew Windsor and
Henry Watkeys of New York to manufacture muskets for the New
York troops, Boyd to make the gun linrrels and ramrods, and Watkeys

©■
Q

o
5

THE ARENA OF STRIFE. 93

tlic locks, stocks and fittings. The factory was on Quassaick creek, in
the town of Xew Windsor. Arrangements were also completed for the
manufacture of powder at Khinebeck. A temporary supply of powder
was procured from Elizabethtown. Upon being brought by mule team
to Dobbs Ferry (west shore), David Pye, acting for Congress, received
and consigned it to a sloop bound for Albany.

When CongTess adjourned on July 8th a Committee of Safety was
left in charge of Provincial affairs, ilr. Pye represented Orange county
on this committee. One of its first acts was the purchase of sufficient
Pussia drilling to make fifteen hundred waistcoats and as many pair of
breeches. Also enough low i^riced linen to make three thousand shirts.
Also fifteen thousand hats, fifteen hundred pair of shoes, three thousand
pair of coarse homespun knit hose, and material for three thousand cra-
vats. The Commissary-General was oi-dered to have the goods made up.
From this the reader may obtain an idea of how the New York troops
were attired.

Peter Lent and Gilbert Cooper of Orange county were appointed
muster-masters for Captain Robert Johnson's company, then enlisted
for the Continental line. On Thursday, June 15, George Washington
was chosen by the Congress at Philadelphia to command all the Conti-
nental forces. Artemas Ward and Charles Lee were chosen major-gen-
erals, and HoK.tio Gates adjutant-general.

The Pledge of Association, an oath of allegiance to the patriot cause,
received the following signatures in Orangeto\vn :

DaWd Lawrence, David Aljea, Albert Aljea,

Daniel Lawrence, Edward Brig-g-s, Garret Blauvelt,

KasiJarius Conklin, Adrian Onderdonk, John Eycher,

•Vvery Campbell, Rain Roll, Abraham Conklin.

.Tames .Tacklin, Speedwell Jacklin, Nathandel Lawrence,

Abraham Post, Conrad Gravenstine, Abraham Miabie, Jr.,

.Tacoib Wllfer, Michael Cornelison, Jacobus De Clarke,

William ilaritin, Daniel Voorhees, Abraham Onderdonck,

Jonas Torrell. .Tohn Gissnar, Jr., Abraham Tallman,

Peter Retian, Daniel Onderdonk, Jacob Conklin,

.Tohn Westervelt, William Bell, Jr., John Van Houten,

Abraham Mabie, Harman Tallman, Garret Ackerson,

.Tacob Ackerson, Hiarman Tallman, Jr.

Certain persons who would not sign the main pledge drew up the

following: "That we would not countenance rebellion, nor have any

hand in a riot, but stand for king, country and liberty agreeable to the

charter, hut at the same time disallowing taxation in any wise contrary

HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

to the charter, and shall never accept taxation without being fully repre-
sented with our consent." The foregoing received the following signa-
tures:

Isaac Sherwood,
Cornelius Smith,
CorneliuB Benson,
Harmanus Kiselar,
Guysbert F. Camp,
Johannes Bell,
Auri Blauvelt,
Thunis Emmut,
Thunis Crom,
David D. Ackerman,
Johannes Forshee,

Cornelius De Gray,
Garet Smith,
,Tohn Palmer,
Peter Forshee,
John Smith,
John Van Horn,
John Rureback,
Antthony Crouter,
Peter Bush,
Benjamin Secor,
Reynard House, Jr.

Alberd Smith,
Daniel Gerow,
John Cox,
Derick Stra^vs,
John Darlington,
K. Quackenboss,
Abraham DeBaun,
Jacob Waldron,
Arthur Johnston,
Cornelius Smith,

In Haverstraw Precinct the Association pledge was signed by the

following :

Robert Burns,
John Coleman,
Auri Smith,
Adriani Onderdonk,
John Acketrson,
Samuel Knapp, •
Abr'm Stephenson,
Walter Smith,
Cornelius Paulding-,
Dowse Tallman,
Thomas Morrall,
Nathaniel Towenson,
Harmanus Hoofman,
James Hannan,
Abriaham Polhemus,
Edward Cane,
Peter Salter,
Andrew Onderdonk,
Thunis Remsen,
.Toseph Seamonds,
Robert Ackerly,
William Deronde,
Jerod Knapp,
Alex:ander Gilfon,
.Johannes J. Blauvelt,
.John Van Dolfsen,
Edward Ackerman,
John Martine, ,
Rulef Onderdonk,
Albtard Onderdonk,
Abraham Onderdonk,
.Jeremiah Jlartine,
.Jost Voorhis,
.Johannes Cole,
John Hill,
Patten Jackson,
John Allison,

Joseph Knapp,
John Coe,
Henry Brower,
John Smith,
Alexander Mannell,
John Suffern,
■John Springsteei,
.John Lent,
Abram Ackerson,
.John Wallace,
Da\id Hoofman,
Thomas Allison,
Harmanus Felter,
Thomas Dolphen,
Peter Snyder,
Rem Remsen,
Stephen Stephenson,
William Stringham,
.James Thene,
.John Toten,
Richard Osbom,
.John Dunscombe,
.Jobair Knapp, ■--
Thomas Klngen,
.Johannes Vanderbillt,
Andrew Van Orden,
Carpenter J\elly,
Thomas Kelly,
.James Onderdonk,
Jacob Coles,
Mauhel Tenure,
Powlas Seamonds,
Steiphen Voorhis,
E. W. Tveese,
Amos Hutchins,
Joseph Allison,
Peter Allison,

David Pye,
Robert Johnson,
Thomas Eckerson,
Harmanus Blauvelt,
James Lanu,
Abraham Rej'nolds,
Joseph .Jones, .Jr.,
Jacob Polhemus,
Theunis Snedeker,
Nathaniel Barmore,
Garret Cole,
Henir.v Hallsited,
Johannes Demarest,
William Bell,
Abraham Blauvelt,
Matthew Coe,
Thunis Tallman,
Garret Paulding,
Jacob Archer,
John Toten, .Jr.,
Thomas DicMngs,
Abel Ivnapp.
Thomas Gilfon,
Andrew Onderdonk,
Rulef Stephensen,
Derick Van Houten,
Jacob Jirckie,
Garret Onderdonk,
Jacob Onderdonk,
Henry Onderdonk,
Johannes De Frees,
John Voorhis,
Edward Jones,
Jacob Ivenifen,
Peter Kiselar,
Benjamin Allison,
Roibert Allison,

THE ARENA OF STRIFE.

Acl&ni Brady,
Joseph Concklin,
Abraham Garrison,
GfeTa-it Van Hon ten,
Peter Van Houfen,
Harmanns Tfemper,
John Graham,
John Noblet,
A. Kawkes Hay,
Peter Orum,
Henry Wood,
Benjamin Knapi), ^.._
Abraham Derunde,
Reuben Hunt,
Jolin CuTiiming-s,
"Mud Hole" Tenure,
Johannes De Gray,
John Hetcock,
Aurt Remsen,
Jobais Derunde,
James Shirley,
Jacobus Mayers,
Simond Trump,
Andrew Cole,
.loliannes Bl'auvelt,
Peter Salter,
James Paul,
Thunis Remsen,
John Felter,
Theunis Tallman,
Garret Meyers,
Theodorus Snedeker,
G^a^ret Van Cleft,
Cr^tTT^E'TTemseh,
Cobar De Clark,
Samuel Wilson,
Leonard Bayle,
Gilbert Fowler,
■Jacob Secor,-
Thomas Osborn,
Daniel Coeklate, —
Ellis Se<"or,v
John Secor,'
.Jonah Halstead,
.Torialthan Taylor,
■Tames Stewart,
.Tames Smith,
Cornelius Smith,
Auri Smitih,
■Tacob .Tones,
Cornelius Cooper,
.Tacob Cooper,
John W. Cog-g,
.John .T. Coe,
Samuel Coe,

.Tohn .Tohnson,
Michael Concklin,
Claus Van Houten,
Roosevelt Van Houten,
Thunis Van Houten,
Powlas Vandervoort,
John Jersej',
Abraham DePuy,
Daniel Morall,
William Crum,
Robert Wood,
■Tames Carmelt,
,Tohn Ackerman,
Gilbart Hunt,
■Tolin De Grote,
Benjamin Holstead,
John Slotrt.,
John Mead,~
Henry Mackrel,
Theodorus Polhemus,
Timothy Halstead,
Abra.ha,m Mayers,
.Tohiannes Meyer,
Thomas Blauvelt,
Isaac Mianuel,
.Tonaithan Lounsberry,
.Joseph Wood. ,Tr.,
Jeremiah Williamison,
Derick Vander'bilt,
William Felter,
Abraham Tallman,
Abraham Thew,~- —
James Kelly,
Aurt Polhemus,
Luke Stephenson,
Daniel De Clark,
Henry Tenure, Sr.,
Thomais .Tax-ks,
Peter Easterly,
■Ton'ah Wood,
Gairit Snedeker,
Stephen Beane,
.Tames Seoor, — .
Peter De Pue,
.Tohn Hialstead,
Benjamin .Tones,
Thunis De Clark,
Stephen Smith,
Lambert Smith,
Daniel Smith.
Theunds Cuyper,
Wilvart Cooper,
.John Cuyper,
Gaibriel Fargyson,
Daniel Coe,

William Concklin,
Abraham Concklin,
Charles R. Van llouteu,
P. Van Houten, Sr.,
Rulef Van Houten,
Nathaniel Odie, Jr.,
Siba Banta,
John Thew,
Gilbard Crumm,
.Tohn Parker,
William Wood,
Moses C. Charter,
■Tacob Derunde,
.Toseph Hunt,
Thomas Goldtrap,
.John Stogg,
William Trunoper,
.John Vandervoort,
Jonrnas Sele,
.Tohannes Polhemus,
Daniel Parker,
John Mayers,
■Tames Wilson,
Isaac Blauvelt,
John Clark,
Pcnvlas Hopper,
Harmianus Tallman,
.Jacob Meyers,
Isaac Dutcher,
■Tohannes Remsen,
Ebenezer Wood,
.Tames Sharp,
.Tohn Brush,
Jacobus De Clark,
Jobair Lauery,
.Tohannes ■Tenwie,
■Jacob Tenure,
Thomas Wilson,
Abraham Stag, >Tr.,
Aurt Amorman,
Jonas Snedeker,
William Slatt,
David Secor, .
William Dozenberry,
John Smith,
Peter Reed,
Joseph De Clark,
William Smith,
Peter Smith,
Daniel Ward,
Gilbard Cuyper,
Albard Cooper,
■John Cuiper, Jr.,
Benjamin Coe,
Daniel Coe, Jr.,

HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Joseph Jones,
Garrit Ackersion,
James Christie,
Francis Cline,
Fred Urie,
FraiK-is Girnee,
Isaac Girnee, Jr.,
Harmanus Snyder,
Gra-sliam Huff,
Willinei Crnm,
William Hause,
,Tohn D. Tallman,
John Jeffries,
John Hogrencamp,
William Stephens,
Paul Persall,
Charles MotJt,
II. Trumper, Jr.,
Jacob Mall,
David Babcock,
Isaac Cole,
Abraham Koll,
Petris Blauvelt,
William Youman, Jr.
John Parker, Jr.,
.Tohn Gardner,
John G. Lorald,
Ezekiel Ward.
Philip Sa-rveult,

The following resl'

Association:
Matthew Ste^el,
Dennis Sneeding,
Riahl Bogard.
Gesebert E. Bogardit,

In the Precinct of
Roger Osburn,
Benjamin Osbnrn,
.Tohn R. Osburn,
William Babcock,
Tompkins Oddle,
.Tohn G. .Tohnston.
LodoAvick Shumaker,
.Tonais Loderick,
William Dobbs,
John Pollan,
Abraham Babcook,
Benjamin Ackerson,
Thomas Ackerson,
Lewis Concklin,
.Toseph Concklin,
Frederick Post,
John Post,
Henry Hoisted,

Powl'as Vandervoort,
Joseph .Tones, Jr.,
Gilbert Wilson,
James Stia^g,
Jos.eph Palmer,
Patrick Gurnee,
Francis Girnee, Jr.,
(2) Francis Girnee,
Henry Snyder, Sr.,
Edward Holstead,
Ilendrick PoUiemus,
David Sherwood,
Thomas Dinard,
Richard Springsteel,
Benjamin Benson,
.Tames Rumsev,
Markel Mott, "
.Toseph Johnston,
,\ndrew Abrames,
William Snyder,
Reynard Hopper,
Daniel Van Sickles,
.Taoobns Van Orden,
Ezekiel Youmans,
Isaac Parker,
George .Tohnston,
.Tacob Bartholomew,
William Kempe,
Adrian Sarvent.

Samuel Sidman,
John Harper,
Samuel Youmans,
Abraham Springsteel,
Henry Houser,
Stephen Girnee,
Isaiac Girnee,
Paul RiJttan,
Henry Snyder, Jr.,
Jacob .Tones,
Thunis H. Tallema,
Samuel Hunt,
John Burges,
Hendrick Stephens,
.Tohn Persnll. Jr.,
Salvanus Mcrtt,
Thomas Tillt,
William Rider,
M. Vandervoort,
Reynan Gerow,
Aliraham Brower,
Albard Stephenson,
Daniel Martine,
Benjamin Furmian,
Paul Vandervoort,
.Tohn Lorillard,
Da\'id Halstead,
Rev. Robert Burns,
Jacob Parker,

dents of Orangetown declined to sign the General

.Taoob C. Ackerson,
Robert .Sneeding,
Isaac G. Blauvelt,
Jaoo'b Gessener,

Haverstraw the follo\ving
Richard Osburn,
Nathaniel Osburn,
Abraham Babcock,
Gilbert .Tohnston,
Abraham .Tohnston,
William Winter,
Ezekiel Ferguson,
A. Montgomery,
.Tohn .Tohnston,
John Springsteel,
Jacob Ackerson,
David Ackerson,
Lewis Concklin. .Tr.,
Ezeldel Concklin,
Isaac Post,
Joseph Heston,
Henry Hoisted, Sr.,
William Concklin,

Johannes Perry,
George Man,
Jesse Sneeding.

would not sign:
James R. Osburn,
.Tamets Babcock,
Nathaniel Oddle,
Guysbert .Tohnston,
Lawrence .Tohnston,
Andris Pallis,
Raynard House, Sr.,
Jtatthew Ellison,
William Brabcock,
Thomas Ackerman,
Derick Ackerson,
Abraham Concklin,
■Tohn Con<"klin,
S. Heymen.
Abraham Post,
.Toseph Knapp,
Thoma.s Sinith,
Nicholas Concklin,

THE ARENA OF STRIFE.

Isaac Concklin,
L. VanBuskrrk,
Peter Wanamaker,
Johannes Eush,
Samuel Matthews,
Ooon Fridrick,
Moses Van Niostrant,
John Eider,
John Armstrong,
^John Secor,
Peter Stephens,
Adam Deter,
Jacob Sarvant,
John Sarvent,
Henry Tenyek,
James I/amb, Sr.,
Jost Buskirk,

Jacobus VanBusldrk,
Peter Frederick,
Haulberg Bucker
.Tost Short,
Andrew Haldrom,
G. Van Nostrant,
Joseph Rider,
Hemry Warden,
Samuel Secor,
Henry Areler,
John Dobbs,
Henry Sarvent,
Isaac Berea,
Henry Tenyek, Jr.,
Cornelius Crum,
Jacob Waldron,
Andrie Bellis,

Henry Wanamaker,

Samuel Bairta,

John George,

John Weaver,

Peter Jersey,

Daniel De Clark,

John Tovcn,
xTohn Secor, Jr.,
/Isaac J. Secor,

Clans Corlosh,

Peter Vandervoort,

Philip Sarvent,

Jacob Tenyek,

Samuel Bird,

.John Crum,

Edward Waldron,

The reader should not too hastily condemn those who failed at this
time to signify their allegiance to the cause of independence, for some
afterward took their stand by tlie side of the patriots. Justice should
he rendered to those who could not see the wisdom of forcing opinions
into warfare, and who for a while longer held to what they deemed con-
scientious loyalty. It is a matter of history, however, that a large ele-
ment among the people, more especially those not long over from Eng-
land, and many who were called "aristocrats," did not enter at any time
into the spirit of the revolution. The sentiment on the east side of the
lower Hudson in 1775 vas such that the record of the Provincial Con-
gress bears testimony that the militia of Westchester county could not
be depended on. When it is considered that the whole population of
Orange county, north and south of the mountains, was only about twelve
thousand (including slaves), and that less than half of this number
belonged to Haverstraw and OrangetoA\ai, it -will be understood that in
furnishing the number of patriot soldiers wliich will hereafter appear,
Southern Orange, or the present Rockland county, performed a most
distinguished service for the country.

In August Congress passed a law for the general reconstruction of
the militia, and in obedience thereto the county was divided into dis-
tricts, or beats, by the local Committee of Safety, and one company was
raised in each district. A company ordinarily consisted of eighty-three
men, including officers. The officers were chosen by the ballots of all
the members in the most democratic manner possible. The company
was dra\vn up in line before the local Committee of Safety, and each
man stepped forward and registered his choice. Every able bodied man,

98 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

unless for some reason excused, was a member of the militia and liable to
be called out at any time. Having organized this force, Congi-ess pro-
ceeded to form companies called Minute Men, by taking every fourth
man from the militia and assigning him to duty as a "minute man."
Whenever whole companies offered their services as minute men they
were commanded by the officers already chosen. Otherwise, militia
officers were appointed for the minute men according to rank. The
minute men met once eaeli week for drill, and the other troops once a
month. The militia regiments of the counties of JSI^ew York, Kings and
Richmond were formed into one brigade ; the Dutchess and Westchester
men into another brigade; the Orange and Ulster men constituted a
brigade imder General George Clinton, and the Queens and SuH'olk
troops were brigaded together.

When the Provincial Committee of Safety met again, in September,
John Haring of Oraugx^town was unanimously chosen chairman. In
October the first batteries were completed in the Highlands, and the
colors I'aised over them. The first fortifications were situated on Con-
stitution Island, or Marteleaer's Rock, as the name then was. Colonel
Hay of Haverstraw was appointed commissary for all the militia north of
King-sbridgc when in service on the west side of the Hudson. Captain
Hutchins was appointed commander of the minute men of Ilavei-straw.
(It may be well to state here that the minute men as a distinct organiza-
tion had but a brief existence.) The militia of Orangctown were con-
stituted one reg-iment, and the militia of Haverstraw another. The
Orangetown soldiers elected the following officers:

Colonel, Abraham Lent; Lieut.-Colonel, Johannes David Blauvclt;
Major, Johannes Joseph Blauvelt; Adjutant, Jacobus De Clark; Quar-
termaster, Isaac Perry.

Southern Company — Captain, Johannes Jacobis Blauvelt; Fii-st
Lieutenant, James Lent; Second Lieutenant, James Smith; Ensign,
Hemy V. Verbryck.

Northern Company — Captain, Isaac Smith ; First Lieutenant, Johan-
nes Isaac Blauvelt; Second Lieutenant, William Sickles; Ensign, Lam-
bert Smith.

Eastern Company — Captain, Johannes Bell; First Lieutenant, John
Sitcher; Second Lieutenant, William Graham; Ensign, Daniel Onder-
donk.

THE ARENA OF STRIFE. 99

Estimating each company's strength at eighty men gives a battalion
strength of 240. The total white population of Orangotown at that time
was scarcely one thousand. Colonel Lent was an experienced officer, but
he had his own troubles. His battalion was chiefly composed of those
who understood but little English, and he found it impossible to drill
them in a proper manner. In ilarcli of the foUoAving year he gave up
in despair and resigned his commission. The command then devolved
on Lieutenant-Colonel David Blaiivelt.

Colonel Hay was the iirst commander of the Haverstraw militia regi-
ment, but the names of the other regimental officers were not spread on
the minutes of Congress.

A minute company was organized in Haverstraw precinct, with the
following officers: Capt., Benjamin Coe; First Lieut., Abram Onder-
donk; Second Lieut., Paulis M. Vandervoort; Ensign, Daniel Coe, Jr.

The A^arious minute companies of the county were organized into one
regiment, for Avhich the county committee selected the officers : Colonel
Isaac Nicoll of Goshen: Lieut.-Col., Gilbert Cooper of Haverstraw;
First Major, Hendrick Vanderlinder Verbryck of Tappan; Second Ma-
jor, Hezckiah Howell of Blooming Grove.

In February, 1776, David Pye, who was chairman of a committee
on the south side of the mountain, recommended the following for offi-
cers in two companies for the Continental line, "upon the probability
that they will be completed:" (1) Capt., Amos Hutchins; First Lieut.,
Patrick Jackson; Second Lieut., Eobert Wood; Ensign, George John-
ston. (2) Capt., Auri King; First Lieut., William Sickler; Second
Lieut., John D. Coe; Ensig-n, Peter Oblenus. It was subsequently
decided by CongTess that one company only was needed from this sec-
tion of the county, and Amos Hutchins was appointed captain. Pre-
sumably Peter Jackson was at tlie same time appointed First. Lieuten-
ant; Kobert Wood, Second Lieutenant, and George Johnston, Ensign.

A military company was mustered at Kakiat, in Fcbniary, 1776, Avith
the following officers: Capt., Reynard Quackenboss; First. Lieut., Gar-
ret Eckerson; Second Lieut., Jacob TenEyck; Ensign, Roger Osbom.
The first request for troops from Orange county for general service
came in November, '75, Avhen the Continental Congress asked for 67
men to assist in gaiTisoning the Highland batteries. Ulster and Dutchess
each contributed the same number for the same puqiose. A large stock
of provisions had by this time been stored at the forts. The next order

100 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

of tlio kind took ITiitoliins' niinutc iiicn from Ilavcrstraw, Ttoliort John-
son's fi'oni Clarkstown, and Denton's from Goshen, to join the First (Rit-
zema's) Continental ilej^ment at New York. Subsequently they were
assigned to Colonel James Clinton's regiment, the Third. Upon their
departure from IIav(;rstraw, llntchins' men were supplied with powder
from Edward Kiers' store, at the order of the Provincial Congress. In
March, '70, sixty-five privates were drafted out of Colonel Hay's regi-
ment of militia and thirty-five from Colonel Blauvelt's, and all sent to
New York, under Captain Isaac Blauvelt, for service in the Continental
line. Seven men in Captain Avery Blauvelt's militia company, at Hav-
erstraw, who refused to obey the draft, were arrested and sent to New
York under guard. The several companies thus sent to New York went
with the expedition under Montgomery to the invasion of Canada. They
were well armed and nnifonned, wearing blue broadcloth dresscoats,
with crimson cuffs and facings. Each of the four regiments had a differ-
ent uniform, at least so far as related to the colors of the coats. The
breeches came only to the knee, where the long homespun stockings
began. Add the black broad-brimmed felt hats and you have a picture
of the Continentals. The gallajitry they displayed and the sufferings
they endured, in the vain attempt to take Quebec with an insufflcient
force, are known to all.

Early in July General Howe landed, first on Staten Island, and on
the 27th of the following month the Battle of Long Island was fought.
The disparity between the forces was too great to render the result doubt-
ful. The British secured New York city and the control of the lower
Hudson, for Washington was coni]>elled to retreat in the course of the
following month to Harlem Heights, and then to White Plains, where,
on October 28, a battle was fought. The American di\'isions retreated
into New Jersey, and on November 16 Fort Washington was taken by
the British; two days later Fort Lee fell. 0\ving to these reverses, the
Fourth Provisional Congress was compelled to move from New York
city to Harlem, Kingsbridgc, Yonkers, White Plains and Fishkill. The
delegates to that Congress from this county were John Haring, David
Pye, Thomas Cutwater, Jo.shua H. Smith, Isaac Sherwood, William
Allison, Archibald Little and Jeremiah Clarke.

The fortifications that had been erected on Constitution Island were
not considered satisfactory by commissioners sent by the Continental
( 'ongvess to inspect them. Lord Sterling reported that Mr. Romans,

THE ARENA OF STRIFE. 101

the engineer, had "disj)hiyprl liia genius at very great expense and to very
little public advantage." The construction of Fort Montgomery on
the north side of Poplopcn's kill had then been ordered. This fort when
completed consisted of open lines, "faced with fascines and filled in with
strong, good loam." There was a small redoubt on the hill in the roar
of the main works for defence against an attack on the land side. The
garrison at Fort Montgomery in June, 1776, consisted of three com-
panies of Colonel James Clinton's regiment, in all about one hundred
and sixty men, and the force at Fort (constitution consisted of two com-
panies of the same regiment and Captain Wisner's company of minute
men. All these were from Orange and Ulster counties. Upon the
appearance of the Eritish at Now York, the construction of anotln'r fort
was commenced on the south side of Poplo|>en's kill, and on higher
ground than where Fort Montgomery stood. At the same time orders
were issued for the construction of a boom with chain to be stretched
across the river from Fort Montgomery to Anthony's Xose, where there
was a fortified position for protecting the eastern end of the unique
obstruction to navigation. In front of the massive construction of logs
aud chains, two cables were to be suspended, with their ends fastened to
the shores. Several armed vessels, including the Montgomery and the
Congress, were stationed above the batteries. The armament of Fort
^lontgomery comprised four 32-pounders, ten 12-pounders, ten 6-pound-
ers, one 3-pounder on field carriage, and two 2-pounders on garrison car-
riages. Fort Clinton was nearly as well armed. So far as their front
a.spect was concerned, the works were unquestionably formidable, and it
is not conceivable that a fleet could have run past. They were built
under the practical supervision of Captain Machin, from designs evolved
by several commissions. The actual labor of constructing Fort Clinton
and the works at Anthony's ISTose was perfonued by the garrison of Fort
Montgomery, on General George Clinton's order. Unfortiuiately, Fort
Clinton had few defences against a land attack, and Fort Montgomery
only a small redoubt. Apparently, no one ever imagined that the forts
would be subjected to assault from the rear.

On the evening of Friday, July 14, signal fires on High Tor and
other mountain tojis, the reverberations of cannon-shots from the forts
and the beating of drums summoned the militia to arms. Three large
ships of war and four cutters had passed the forts at Now York that after-
noon, and some hours later one forty and one twenty-gmi ship anchored

102 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

off Nyack. That niglit a boat attempted to land, but turned back on be-
ing challenged. Fast-riding couriers set out from Haverstraw with Col-
onel Hay's oi'ders and dispatches, and soon the companies were on the
march to the point of danger. At daybreak the next morning the Nyack
shore was lined with four hundred concealed riflemen. Soon a barge
under the escort, of a cutter attempted to land. The eiitter grounded
some distance fi'om the shore, and the barge met a fire from the river
bank that caused it to put back. The squadron continued at anchor until
Saturday morning between ten and eleven, when all the vessels weighed
and set sail up the river. The patriot troops followed by road. At noon
the ships arrived in Haverstraw Bay, and finally came to anchor off the
village. ImTnediately four barges were lowered, with the evident
design of ransacking the stores, that had been accumulated there for
the American troops. The smaller ships came in close to cover the
landing party, but met a detennined resistance from the shore, led by
Conmiitteeman John Coe. Undaunted by the heavy broadsides from
the ships, the patriots presented an unyielding front, and prevented the
landing of the sailors. No damage was done by the British fire. The
"Battle of Haverstraw" was a victory for the gallant defenders! Early
in the afternoon one of the cutters grounded near Stony Point, which
was then unfortified. If Colonel Hay had been equipped with artillery
ho could have destroyed the vessel, where she lay, as six hours elapsed
before she was freed. When lying in the middle of the river the ships
Avere out of range of shore musketry, and some were protected along the
sides by sand-bags.

General George Clinton was at Fort Constitution when he heard of
the coming of the fleet Friday afternoon. He immediately dispatched
couriers to Colonel Hasbrouck at Newburgh, Colonel Woodhiill at Corn-
wall, and to Colonel McClaughry at New Windsor, ordering the first to
hurry two hundred men to Fort Constitution at once, the second to send
two himdred to Fort Montgomery, and the third to march to the river
bank at Newburgh, there to await a second signal before proceeding
on to Fort Montgomery. At the same time he issued orders to all reg-
iments in his brigade north of the Highlands to stand ready to march at
a moment's notice, and dispatched expresses to the owners of all sloops
for twenty miles iip the river to be prepared to carry down the militia.
'J'hat very night Woodhull's Cornwall regiment marched into Fort Mont-
gomery, and the next morning came Lieut.-Colonel McClaughry and

THE ARENA OF STRIFE. 103

his men, not two Inindrcd strong:, but five liundred, from New Windsor
and Little Britain. Tlie five luindrcd were Col. James Clinton's men;
tliey had come to help defend the fort which he commanded. Mc-
Clanc,hry was second in command in this regiment. Gen. George Clin-
ton had ordered the Colonels to leave the frontier companies at home,
to protect the country against the Indians, for the men of '76 were vir-
tnally between two fires.

The same day Congress ordered out for active service one-fourth of
all the militia in Orange, Ulster, Dutchess and Westchester, the levies to
be fonned into companies and regiments. The troops thus raised on
the east side of the river were to proceed to Peekskill, and those on the
west side to take station in the Highlands at such places as Gen. Clinton
should designate. For the Orange county troops the following officers
were appointed: Colonel, Isaac NicoU of Goshen; Lieutenant-Colonel,
Gilbert, Cooper of Ilaverstraw; Major, Hendrick Vanderlinden Van
Kryck. Each regiment imder this call consisted of ten companies, and
each company of sixty-one men. Every private had to furnish or pay
for his own gun, also provide himself Avith a blanket and knapsack, and
every six men were expected to find a camp kettle. The term of enlist-
ment was six months. Twenty dollars, as bounty, and continental pay
were allowed to each man.

On Sunday, the 17th, Captain Moffat and eighty men were sent from
Fort Montgomery to reinforce the shore gaiard at Ilaverstraw and per-
mit some of Hay's men to return home. One hundred men of the pre-
cinct were to remain on diity for a week, then be relieved by one hundred
others from the same regiment. The commanding general also aiTived
at Ilaverstraw on Sunday, and moved the government goods, sheep and
cattle back to a place of safety.

The British ships, the largest of which were named the Phenix and
Rose, spent much time in making soundings. No communication with
the shore was allowed. On Sunday afternoon one of the cutters ven-
tured up the river too far and received a bolt in her quarter from one of
I'ort Montgomery's thirty-two pounders, which caused her to beat a
hasty retreat. Later the same vessel sent a party ashore at Peekskill to
commit depredations. They had set fire to one dwelling and to a
wheat field, when some American riflemen assembled and opened 07i
them, killing several. The movements of the ships kept the shore guard,
and the gan-ison at Fort Montgomery, constantly on the alert. To

104 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

guard against surprise at night, General Clinton posted sentinels on the
point of the Diindcrhcrg and elsewhere with orders to discharge their
muskets and start signal fires if the ships made any suspicious move-
ment. Non-combattants were forbidden from walking along the shore
after dark, and all boats were kept in Minisceongo creek, near Colonel
Hay's house, under guard, with the object of preventing any commimi-
cation with the enemy. Some large fire-rafts that had been hastily con-
trived at Poughkeepsie Avere arranged in line, by anchors and cables,
between Fort Montgomery and Anthony's Nose. Some of the "rafts"
were old sloops and schooners. All were filled with highly combustible
material, to be ignited in case of attack, not only for the purpose of guid-
ing the aim of the gainnei-s, but also to menace, if not destroy, the
enemy's ships. Along the east shore General Clinton had prepai-ed
large j^iles of biiish, wood and leaves, with sentries at hand to fire them
on the signal being given from below. The General was especially
ajiprehensive of the enemy selecting a dark night to slip by. One night
a deserter from the Rose swam ashore, and Colonel Hay and Captain
jVicoll pumped him dry and forwarded the information to General ClLn-
tdu, who in turn transmitted it to Xew York. From the sailor it was
learned that the name of the captain of the Phenix was Parker, and
that Wallace was the name of the captain of the Rose. Captain Wal-
lace himself on one occasion, the sailor said, had led a shore party that
destroyed a poor man's house at a lonely place under the mountain. The
captain had taken for his share of the loot a handkerchief full of salad and
a pig.

As from time to time the shore guard was changed various officers
were in charge. Colonel Hay was tireless and faithful. Colonel Blau-
velt and Major Cooper were also efiicient. Others who were on this duty
during the period of danger were Colonel Nicoll, Major Samuel Logan,
Lieut. Brewster, Lieut. Langdon, Lieut. McNeal and Captain Moffat,
all either Orange or Ulster men. The squadron continued in Hav-er-
straw Bay until haK-past ten o'clock on the morning of July 25, when
it set sail and crossed over to the cove on the south side of Croton Point,
at the mouth of the river of the same name, where, it is recorded, the
erews were able to obtain some supplies from the (Westchester) shore.
All this while the patriot sons of Orange and Ulster were building the
fortifications on the south side of Poplopen's kill and at the foot of
Antliony's Nose.

H
xn

THE ARENA OF STRIFE. 105

There was no relief from the strain for shore guards and garrison
nntil Saturday afternoon, August 3, wlien five trim vessels flying the
American colors were discovered coming up the Tappan Zee. The hoiu-
of reckoning had come for the British intruders. The rattle of the
drums as the surprised ships pi'epared for action came faintly across the
water. Closer came the American squadron, and the King's sailors
could see that, though few in number and small the vessels of our "new
navy" were heavily armed. The first shot was fired from H. M. S. Phe-
nix at a quarter past one, and was immediately replied to by the Amer-
ican flagship, which proved to be the Lady Washington, commanded by
Benjamin Tupper. The reports echoed among the moimtains ^and
brought hvmdreds of people to the banks of the river, to gaze upon the
first naval fight in the history of the Hudson. The British projectile
went wide, but the course and effect of the American answer thereto
proved that the ''man behind the gun" knew his business. The thirty-
two pounds of iron bored the Plienix through. The high sides of the
forty-gun frigate offered a fine target for our gunners, and soon the splin-
ters began to fly. The other vessels of the Continental squadron, the
Spitfire, Shark, Whiting and Crown, ranged up in line with the Lady
Washington and poured in their iron. The British twenty-gun ship,
the Rose, and the four sloops of war gallantly followed the motions of
the Phenix, and the black pall of battle was throwni over all. For an
hour and a half the terrific bulldog fight continiied. With little or no
chance to manoeuvi-e, it was simply a case of execution and endurance.
Wooden sides were stout and did not smash like egg shells by any means;
they offered a considerable measure of protection from fiercest gunfire of
the period. Only the gun flashes could be seen through the dense
>5niokc, but the thunder of the broadsides was heard many miles away.
An hour an a half was a long time to continue such fearful work. Tlie
long 32-pounder on the Lady Washington did gi-eat execution until it
cracked. And although the flagship received the principal fire of tlio
Phenix, not one aboard of her was killed, and oidy four slightly wound-
ed. Naturally, the sails and rigging were cut considerably, but her
oaken walls withstood the iron hurricane successfully. Gradually the
opposing lines drifted apart, and the firing ceased by general consent.
From Dobbs Ferry Conunander Tupper sent a report to the State Leg-
islature at five o'clock, after a conference with his captains. The Sjiit-
fire reported only one killed and two badly wounded, but the Shark had

106 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

nine killed or wounded. The Spitfire's hull and rigging were much
damaged, and the Lady AVashington had thirteen holes in her hnll. The
damage to the British was reported as heavy, though particulars were
not obtainable. The aim of the American gunners must have been, as
ever, very accurate, for Commander Tupper "saw many splinters drift-
ing down." Parker, the English commodore, did not try to renew the
fight, and the Americans, knowing that there were other British men-
of-war in New York harbor, and, fearing to be caught between two fires,
retired to Spiayten Duyvel creek. The King's ships gave no more
trouble, and on the ISth ran past Fort Washington and the American
batteries at New York to join the royal fleet in the bay below. The
departure of the enemy pennitted the shore guard and the garrisons at
the Highland forts to be reduced to skeleton organizations.

But there was more work to do. Immediately came a call for troops
to confi'ont the British at New York, and General George Clinton being
assigned to the command of all the levies raised and to be raised in
Orange, Ulster, Dutchess and Westchester, was ordered to march all his
forces, except such as were needed for patrol and garrison duty, to the
fortifications at King's Bridge. Under this call two new companies
were formed oTit of what remained of Colonel Hay's militia, and ordered
to report to Major Thompson at Pcekskill, there to be employed in erect-
ing fortifications at the mouth of the kill, on the north side, with Cap-
tain Machim as engineer in charge. Captains Dnrunde and Onderdonk
were appointed to command these troops. All other companies on the
west sliorc then in active service were dispatched to King's Bridge, and
the iwo troops of cavalry attached to the militia of Orange and Ulster
were called from their homes and directed to patrol the ri\'ersidc from
Foi t ]\rontgomery southward as far as necessary.

In the battles of Harlem Heights and White Plains the men from
Orange county took conspicuous parts. At Harlem, Clinton's brigade
twice repulsed and pursued superior numbers. "SAHien the British
entered New York, many families fled into the country, and scarcely a
homo in Orangetown or Haverstraw but received and sheltered strang-
ers. Tlic burdens, sacrifices and sufferings of our heroic ancestors are
beyond expression. When the American forces were driven from Har-
lem, the wounded were forwarded by sloops to Tappan, and the court
house in Orangetown was prepared for their occupancy. AVe may well

THE ARENA OF STRIFE. 107

imagine that the kindly women of the neighborhood contributed much
to aik'viate the sufferings of the stricken defenders of their country.

Little or no rest was pennitted the patriots of southern Orange.
When there was scarcely a home that was not represented on the firing-
lines in Westchester, in tlic sliore patrol or among the toiling fortifica-
tion-builders in the Highlands, word came that the Indians were com-
mitting ravages on the western frontier of the county. Detatchments
had scarcely set off for diity there when alarm guns were heard from the
river again. Another British squadron was coming. On the morning
of October 9 th, at eight o'closk, three large ships, one being the Plienix
and another the Koebuck, of 44 guns, besides three tenders, came within
range of Forts Washington and Lee. Though "briskly cannonaded,"
they kept on, with all sails set, and being favored by a southerly breeze,
smashed through the chevaux-de-frise, much to the surprise and mortifi-
cation of the Americans. Lying above the forts were two new and yet
unanned Continental men-of-war and two smaller vessels. All set sail
and headed up stream. The small vessels (sloops) were captured, but
for a while the others, one of which was the Independence, showed clean
pairs of heels to their pursuers. As they could not enter Spu\i:en
Duyvel creek on that tide, they were compelled to keep on. The wind
strengthening, the British frigates with their greater sailspread began to
close the gap. At eleven o'clock they opened fire with their bow-chasers
and at noon had over-reached their enemy, which now stood inshore,
where the water was shoal. At half-past one the Independence and her
consort, being all the while under a heavy fire, were run ashore just
above Dobbs Ferry, and the crews escaped to the shore by s^rimming.
That night the beacon fires were blazing along the river, and couri(^rs
flying with orders. Colonel Hay's militia were called to the river again,
and in a few days he received reinforcements from the upper part of the
county.

Between November 8th and 10th Washing-ton's army crossed to the
west side of the Hudson. Lord Sterling crossed on the 9th at King's
Ferry vnth 1,200 men, followed the next day by General Hand -with
7,000, and by General Ball with 1,700 of Putnam's men. Other divi-
sions passed over at Sneeden's Landing and Tappan Slote. General
Howe followed with 6,000 British, crossing to Closter, N. ,T. General
Clinton remained for a time ia the Highlands.

108 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

For the next two months Southern Orange was the arena for march-
ing armies, for skirmislies and depredations. The Tory element, encour-
aged by the successes of the Britisli and the proximity of Lord Howe's
forces, became dangerous as well as malignant. Even among the rem-
nant of Hay's regiment were mutterings, disaffection and open insubor-
dination, so much so that General Scott was ordered by General Heath,
whose headquarters were at Peekskill, to proceed to Haverstraw with his
brigade to cover the stores and prevent the passage of the enemy into the
defiles of the Highlands.

In the river opposite l^yack lay a squadron of seven British ves-
sels, -with Colonel Malcolm and a patriot force of one lumdred guard-
ing the shore, but not entirely able to prevent depredations by the
sailors. Colonel Himtington was in Ramapo pass, where he had thrown
up earthworks and erected barracks. Winter was coming on and the
])rivalions of both the people and the soldiery were extreme. For a
time Tyler's regiment was at Tappan, and when it withdrew to Eamapo
the Tories and "cowboys," always active between the lines, raided the
village (December 7th), cut down the liberty pole, stole whatever they
could and terrorized the inhabitants. The next morning Colonel Mal-
colm's force from Nyack went on the trail of the raiders, routed them
out of their homes and hunted them for miles. It is sad that the history
cf TJockland coimty is stained with the doings of some misguided sons.
The Tories within her borders joined with those in Bergen county in
forming armed companies to aid the King's caiise, and were so active
and threatening in the vicinity of Tappan that General Heath marched
thc^i'e with 2,000 men, including the force he had previously stationed at
Haverstraw, and after two days continued on to Ilackcnsack. Colonel
Hasbrouck's regiment, from iSlewburgh, now took post at Haverstraw,
and Colonel Allison's at Orangetown.

General Heath found the inhabitants in the utmost distress. The
Tories; wfre joining the enemy and insulting and disanning the Whigs,
besides stripping them of their cattle and effects. But the advent of so
many freemen eager to square accounts completely extinguished Tory
'/.cal in that quarter.

The last campaign of a trying year for the faithful militia of Orange
county began in the second week of December, when Cieneral George
Clinton called out 2,000 men, all from Orange and Ulster, and marched
by divisions into the Ramapo valley to harrass the enemy's rear. General

■Si

THE ARENA OF STRIFE. 109

Heath returned with his force to Pe-ekskill, after capturing large stores
at Ilackensack. The British detachments had fled from that village at
his approach to Newark. General Clinton, after excursions to Ilacken-
sack, Paramu's and Ringwood, disposed his forces through the Ramapo
valley and across the country to Closter, N. J., on the Hudson. He had
strong posts at Sydman's bridge, Siiflfem and Tappan. Clinton's head-
quarters were for a time at Suffern, which was a strategical point of great
importance. The road down the long cloves from Newburgh here met
the great military road to King's Ferry, over which route troops and
wagon trains were constantly passing. It was a door of communication
letween AVashington's army and New England, between Boston and
Pliiladclphia, between the colonies north and the colonies south. Upon
Colonel Hay, the indefatigable commissary and militia commander at
Haverstraw, reposed the duty of keeping Clinton's forces supplied with
provisions. The material resources of the colonies not being large, he
\\as often sorely tried. A large share of the siipplies came to him by
way of King's Ferry, the east landing place of which was at the end of
Ver])lanck's Point, and the western landing in the cove on the north side
of Stony Point. The river here is narrow, and besides it was the first
crossing place north of New York accessible to the Americans. General
Clinton's men spent the ensuing weeks in huts, and in the banis and
houses of the inhabitants. Clinton had hard work to keep the men
together, not that they were disloyal or cowardly, but your militiaman
of "70 considered himself his own master; and when he could not per-
ceive the necessity of remaining on duty longer, and calls from home
were pressing, he was disposed to leave the ranks and return to his fanu
and family. I>ater in the war a sterner discipline and a better system
of military organization were enforced. After the news from Trenton
and Princeton, and the winter having set in, causing suspension of opera-
tions., the militiamen of Orange and Ulster were permitted to return
home.

References: American Archives. Journal of the Provincia.1 Congress.
Clinton Papers.

110 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER IX.

THE FALL OF THE HIGHL\JMD FORTS.
Re-Appearance of the Enemy in tbe Spring- — Militia Called Out — Reluc-
tant to Obey — British Plans — Sir Henry Clinton's Armada Arrives — Putnam
Dec&ived and Goveirnor Clinton Overwhelmed^Heroic Resistance by the Sons
of Orang-e and Ulster.

THE siiccesses at Trenton and Princeton refreshed the cause of lib-
erty and a re\'ived hope made the rigors of the remaining \\nnter
months for Washington's army at Momstown more bearable.
The British were impounded at Amboy and New Brunswick, on the
Raritan. Their forces were snfHcient to have driven the shattered
American army out of New Jersey, but orders were wanting. Com-
wallis was in command at New Brunswick, and Vaughan at Amboy, but
their commandei--in-chief was diverting himself in New York city vAth.
various pleasures that appealed to his nature. Howe, viewing the
results of the campaign of 1776, was disposed to rest satisfied for awhile.
He had subjected our Continental line to a long series of disasters. Stat-
cn Island, Long Island, Manhattan Island and Rhode Island were in
his possession; Connecticut had virtually concluded that the war was
over; the lower Hiidson, with Westchester county and the State of New
Jersey, was at his mercy. Only Orange county, with its passes fortified
and manned, had not yielded an inch. England's squadrons had not
attempted to pass our Highland forts; her troops had not ventured to
make the circuit of the mountains through the narrow defile where the
marksmen of Orange and Ulster stood guard. Orange, the buffer
county, with Ulster at her back, stood ever firm and true, while West-
chester and others faltered. Though General George Clinton was per-
mitted to spend a part of the winter at home, his vigilance never relaxed ;
his sentinels and guards were never entirely withdrawn from the Ram-
apo valley and the river shore. The work on the defences of the High-
lands of the Hudson went on through the winter, but progress was e.\as-
peratingly slow, owing not to indisposition — but rather to the scarcity
of financial means and mechanical facilities. The principal work now
in liand was in connection with the obstruction between Plum point and
Polopel's island. Lieut. -Colonel Johannes Da\ad Blauvelt, who had
commanded the Orangetown battalion since Colonel Lent resigned, ten-

THE FALL OF THE HIGHLAND FORTS. Ill

dcrcMl liis own resignation March 1, 1777, and Major Johannes Joseph
Blauvelt was by General George Clinton appointed to succeed him.
Later the organization was merged into the Haverstraw regiment.

With the opening of navigation, Britisli sliips came again up the
ri\'er. On March 22, 1777, a twenty-gun frigate and two galleys, con-
voying four large transports filled with troops, anchored in Haverstraw
Bay, off Croton Point. Tlie next day at noon a thousand redcoats under
Colonel Bird landed at Peekskill, and caused the destruction of all the
American magazines, ban-acks and store-houses that liad been erected at
the place, with a large quantity of provisions, military stores, clothing
and accoutrements. They retired without the loss of a man. General
McDougall, not having numbers sufficient to oppose them with a prob-
ability of success, removed the greater jjart of tlie stores, and himself set
fire to the rest. He then, leaving the enemy unopposed, retreated to
Fort Independence, about ten miles distant. The British wore greatly
disappointed in not securing tlie stores.

A severe blow, swiftly and unexpectedly delivered, this misfortune
greatly disheartened as well as alarmed the patriots. As it was evidently
the design of the enemy to distress and plunder the shore, rather than
make any attempt to pass the forts. Colonel Hay, having now less than
a hundred men to protect the ferry and the bay shore, appealed to Cu^n-
eral Clinton for reinforcements, and received an answer, saying: "In
consequence of the beacon being fired at Fort Constitution yesterday,
about four in the afternoon, I issued orders to Colonels Woodliull's
(Cornwall), !McClaughry's (New Windsor) and Ilasbrouck's (Newburgh)
regiments to inarch immediately, the two first to reinforce the garrison
at this place, the latter to Fort Constitution, a part of which may be
expected in this evening, and I arrived here about three o'clock this
morning myself. Until the above regiment arrive we cannot possibly
spare any men from this, as it is a post of the utmost consequence; but
you may rest assured we will give you every aid and protection in our
power the moment a reinforcement arrives, and let me beseech you in
the meantime to call out your regiment and inspirit tlicm to make a
proper defence should the enemy attempt anytliing against you." The
militia of Southern Orange received the call to arms in no kindly spirit.
The major of the Haverstraw regiment publicly declared that if the men
were to be harassed as last year, he would give up the cause. Colonel
Hay, desiring to station a company at King-'s FeiTy, could not prevail

112 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

on men to stay, as tlicy said they must go home and protect their prop-
erty, as Colonel Pawling had arrived with all his troops from below and
left that district exposed. This was the first time that Hay's men had
ever really failed him.

Clinton eonnseled with his field officers and called out one-third of
the militia of Orange and Ulster, including exempts, the total nimiber
alfected being about twelve hundred. Three regiments were formed
from the levy, two from Ulster, under Colonel Pawling and Colonel
Snyder, and one from Orange, which Colonel Hawthorne was a.ssigned
to command. The Orange regiment was directed to take post in Kam-
apo clove, and the two Ulster regiments were sent to Fort Montgomery
and Fort Clinton. Dutchess county was a few days later ordered to
forward two companies to Fort Independence. Nothing could be
expected from Westchester, that county being full of Tories, who gave
valuable aid and encouragement to the British. The number of avail-
able militiamen there was less than one himdred.

But it was one thing to call out the citizen soldiers, and another to
make them come, and yet another matter to induce them to stay. Gen-
eral George Clinton once remarked, "Before we are out a week we lose
our men, and of course we have supernumerary officers and mixst dis-
charge them, which can't always be done without giving offence."

The force required in this emergency was slow in coming, though it
was generally understood the enemy was contemplating an attack in
large force. Not only had the squadron, now lying in the Tappan Zee,
off Sneeden's Landing, been reinforced, but a fleet of twenty-two sail had
been concentrated off Fort Washington, with many troops aboard.
Major Johannes Joseph Blauvelt of Orangetown infonned the General
tliat, though the captains in his command had several times called their
(companies out, many of the men had not come, and some who had
responded brought no arms. "Indeed, matters are come to such a
height," said Major Blauvelt, "that they who are friends of the Amer-
ican cause must for their own safety be cautious how they speak in
public, for I make no doubt we have often spies among us. If accounts
we have received from different quarters may be depended on, soine of
those Avho have been active in favor of our cause may be carried down
to New York."

On the 25th of April the King's fleet, which had concentrated at Fort
Washington, moved up the river, and joined the ships that were wait-

THE FALL OF THE HIGHLAND FORTS. 113

ing off Sneedcn's Landing. Wliilc Washington was urging Clinton to
get all tlie men possible, the commander of the Highland district was
receiving returns from regimental officers that their men had not
responded adequately to the call. Colonel Cooper of the Orange county
regiment reported from the Ramapo pass that he had been able to raise
only 259. Ninety-six of these he had posted at Nyack, under Captain
Onderdonk, Captain Gardiner and Captain Bertliolf. Clinton was not
intimidated by the threatening demeanor of the fleet. He made the
most of what he had to fight with and was ready. "I don't fear but what
we shall give a good account," he said. The expected attack did not
come; either the fleet was deterred by the foi-midable fortifications, or
the movement was only a feint, made for the purpose of annoying the
Americans and compelling them to demonstrate the strength they were
capable of putting fortli. On May fir.st the expedition returned to New
York.

The real onset came in October. On the part of the British it was
a long contemplated and elaborately planned series of movements, an
instructive example in grand tactics. Three simultaneous campaigns
were arranged for, to be prosecuted in three different sections of the
country, but all intended to accomplish one great end — the conquest of
the Hudson. The first part of the general plan was Howe's combined
military and naval expedition against Philadelphia, the chief purpose
of which was to draw Washington away from the Highlands with all the
troojib that could possibly be spared from this quarter. The design was
most successfully accomplished. Governor Clinton was left with only
a handful to garrison the forts, and the consummate strategy of the
enemy also served, as will appear, to hold off Putnam, who was posted
on the east shore with fifteen hundred men. But strategy alone could
not have availed without overwhelming strength. Sir Henry
Clinton's dash up the Hudson was the second part, and the long and
unsuccessful marches of Burgoyne and St. Leger constituted the third
section of the great strategic plan evolved by the AYar office in London.
The armies from Canada were stopped, but Sir Henry Clinton got
through. Why England did not take full advantage of the latter victory
and retain possession of the river is one of the mysteries of the war.
'J'he fortifications in the Highlands at this time consisted of Fort Mont-
gojuery, with its boom and chain, and its immediate neighbor, Fort
Clinton; the batteries opposite West Point called Fort Constitution,

114 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

and Fort Independence, which was situated two miles above Peekskill.
IS'o works had yet been constructed at West Point, Stony Point or Ver-
planck's Point. Xorth of the Highlands was another line of obstruc-
tions, consisting of a chivaux-de-frise and a protecting water battery.
The chivanx-de-frisc extended from Phmi Point to Polopel's Island, and
consisted of great cribs filled with stone and sunk in the river, holding iu
position long iron-tipped spars. The points of the spars lay a few feet
beneath the surface, at an angle, ready to rip open the first English
frigate that should attempt to pass. It was a much more dangerous
obstruction than the chivaux-de-frise the enemy had plunged through
off Fort Washington. The defences were still in process of construction
under the general supervision of Captain Thomas Machin, who had sup-
ervised the erection of Fort Independence and Fort Clinton.

The obstructions in the lower Highlands have already been
described. They were practically complete at this crisis. The boom
and chain, the stout cables, the line of anchored fire rafts, and some
armed vessels of small tonnage, including the Congress, Montgomery,
Lady Washington and Shark, were all in position. Everything was in
readiness there but men. Calls for troops came from Washing-ton on
the Delaware and from Schuj'ler on the upper Hudson. Clinton and
Putnam greatly weakened their lines in responding to urgent apjx^als.
Yet Clinton fvilly realized the probability of an expedition shooting up
the river from Xew York. He understood that conditions as they
existed in the Highlands were at all times well known in the city, the
news being carried by Tories innumerable. The New England States
were strangely supine. The few militia that Connecticut had sent were
precipitate in rctiiming home at this critical period, leaving New York
State to confront single-handed both Burgoyne's splendid army and the
armada apprehended from New York.

General Clinton (who was now the Governor of the new State)
called out every man who could bear arms. Colonel Dubois's Conti-
nentals had been at Fort Montgomery since Spring opened, constantly
drilling at the guns or maneuvering in the mountain passes. Colonel
McClaughry's regiment (formerly General James Clinton's), from Little
Britain, was engaged in .similar exercises at Fort Clinton. Other reg-
iments received orders to be ready to march at a moment's notice. Wash-
ington, writing from Chester, Del., on August 5, intimated to Governor
Clinton that he was convinced that the British designed an expedition

MAJOK JOHN ANDKE.

THE FALL OF THE HIGHLAND FORTS. US

up the Hudson to meet Biirgoyue while his o^vn army was being held
back by Howe. Eelay riders kept the Governor informed of the pro-
gress of affairs at the north and in communication with American leaders
elsewhere.

As the news of the successive victories of the British invaders was
received, the gloom deepened. When the report of Washington's mis-
fortune on the Brandy^\'ine came, the Governor ordered eleven regiments
to march immediately, six to join General Putnam at Peekskill, two to
strengthen the garrison at Fort Montgomery, and three to report to ifc-
Dougall at Ramapo. Every regiment of the State guard south of
Kingston was now on duty. Others were not called for fear of depriv-
ing the hard-preased northern army of that succor \vhich it had a right
to expect, and which Gates was now appealing for. The six which
joined Putnam belonged to Dutchess county. The Governor had called
for half the strength of each, because he knew the whole could not be
obtained.

On the afternoon of October 4th Lieut. Gano, who had been down
to Peekskill, hurried into Fort Clinton with the news that a British fleet
had landed troops at Tarrytown. Immediately General James Clinton
dispatched a courier to his brother, the Governor, at Little Britain.
The Governor wrote back advising that alann gims be fired at the mo-
ment it became apparent that the enemy's intentions were higher up.

It was but a feint, the landing at Tarrytown, and the next morning
at dawn even a larger armada than had stopped at Tarrytown was lying
between the headlands of Stony Point and Verplanck's Point. With
the reinforcements received during the night, the armament consisted
of a dozen frigates headed by the Mercury, Tartar and Preston, a num-
ber of sloops and transports, and fifty flat-bottomed boats, together with
cbout four thousand soldiers. Before the sun was up that Sunday morn-
ing several thousand men had been lauded at Verplanck's, where only
a small American guard had been stationed. The landing was designed
to impress IMajor-General Putnam and attract general attention to the
east shore. Piitnam was completely deceived. Retreating inland, he
left the forts to their fate, and Sir Henry Clinton had accomplished one
part of his design.

The Americans had no easy puzzle to decipher; who of us under the
sx.nc circumstances could have foreseen where the blow would fall?
The presence of so many troops and small boats was an indication that a

116 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

land assault was contemplated. A naval bombardment was also to be
expected from such a fonnidablc fleet. And would not Fort Inde-
pendence be assailed first, being the most southerly? All that day and
at night eyes and eai-s were alert for beacon fires and alarm guns. But
the enemy remained quiet. Any threatening movement would have
been detected by the vigilant shore guard. But, being apprehensive,
the Governor had sent out a special scout, in the person of Major Logan,
to report anything of importance, l^o word came from Putnam, the
M a jor-G eneral commanding.

When daylight appeared on Monday morning, the 6th, the valley
was shrouded in fog. Human vision could no more penetrate the mist
than the American mind could solve the mystery of British intentions.
But as the morning advanced, the young New Windsor officer in his
mountain eyrie eventually caught the sound of oars, and when certain
that the enemy was landing in gTeat force at King's FeiTy he sprang
away to inform his commander. Six or seven miles was the distance he
had come by rough shortcuts when he entered the Governor's presence
with the alarming intelligence. Lieut. Jackson was detailed with a
small party to discover fiirther hostile movements. Two miles down
the Haverstraw road they ran into the British vangiiard. After return-
ing the fire that was opened on them, they hun-ied back to alarm the
garrison. Biit Governor Clinton had heard the musketry and detached
Lieut. -Colonel Bruyn with fifty men, and Colonel McClaughry with an
equal number, to harass the advancing foe. Presently the guns of
these trained wood rangers were heard sending messengers of death down
the distant ravine. Their deadly execution stopped a long British col-
iimn that was advancing on Fort Clinton. But another was reported
coming along the Forest of Dean road to Fort Montgomery. The Gov-
ernor, who commanded in person at Fort Montgomery, sent Colonel
Lamb with a field piece and sixty men to confront this new danger.
Sixty other Continentals he sent presently to support- the first sixty. His
hope at this hoiir was to retard the enemy until he could got a reinforce-
ment from General Putnam, to whom he had sent for help at the first
alann. But the messenger turned traitor in this extremity; the mes-
sage was never delivered.

( Vlonel Lamb wheeled his gim in the face of the on-coming Tories
and ploughed their ranks with gi-apeshot, while his supports poured in
a l(>aden hail from the sides. Shrieks mingled with the deafening crash

THE FALL OF THE HIGHLAND FORTS. 117

of arms. The assailants fell back in dismay, leaving many dead and
W(jimded. They had begim to pay the fearful price wliich the daunt-
less Americans demanded for their works. Again and again this col-
inim was driven back by the well posted force from Fort Montgomerj',
while the defenders of Fort Clinton, led by the intrepid General James
I'liuton, were also standing firm.

The fog had cleared away and each side perceived what it had to
contend against. "Eight to one" were the odds George Clinton sup-
posed, and as hour after hour passed with leaden heels, and Putnam not
yet come, the little garrison still held their ground. The British fleet
remained down the river out of range of the American batteries. A
thousand E|ritish troops lay idle at Vei-planck's, satisfied with holding ofE
Putnam. Fort Independence, several miles below, and Fort Constitu-
lion, several miles above the scene of conflict, could not aid their
beleagiired neighbors. Oif in the mountains wa telling the fray were
belated militiamen unable to get in. The first success in the assault
came to the British at two o'clock, nearly four hours after the beginning
of the fight, when by a flanking movement to right and left in large
numbers they almost suiTounded Colonel Lamb's men and obliged them
to spike their guns and nin. At this crucial moment the Governor
ordered out a twelve-pounder, which, being well served, stopped the for-
eigners' nish. During the next three hours, however, the garrison was
slowly driven back toward the fort. At five o'clock the noble fellows
retreated inside. About this hour of the day Major-General Putnam
began to come to a true comprehension of affairs, and was sending half
his force to the riverside with orders to cross if they could. At any time
that number added to the Governor's forces would have saved the forts.
At five o'clock a British officer approached Fort Montgomery with a
wliite flag, and the Governor sent Lieut.-Colonel Livingston, who was
in the fort by accident, not belonging to any organization there, to ascer-
tain the British message. The bearer of the flag, who said he was
Lieut.-Colonel Campbell, demanded the surrender of the fort, to save
the further effusion of blood. Livingston replied that he had no author-
ity to treat, but if the British wished to surrender he could assure them
of good treatment; and if they would not accept this offer they could
renew the attack with a knowledge that the works would be defended
to the last extremity. The battle, awful in its violence and ferocity,
was continued until the shades of night fell, when the King's legions

118 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

brol^e through into both forts, and the. Americans began to cut their
way out. Tlie merciful mantle of darkness protected many in the last
raoments, and assisted them to escape into the surrounding mountains or
across the river.

When the fate of the forts was sealed, the torch was applied to the
tire rafts by their own guardians. This \tos an act justifiable under the
circumstances, as with the capture of the forts they were certain to fall
into the hands of the enemy. The spectacle was sublime. But the two
frigates, the Congress and tJie Montgomeiy, were also destroyed by
their crews, which was a proceeding greatly regretted by the nation at
large. They had been built at Poughkcepsie, and with much difficulty
inadequately armed and manned. Each carried ten guns. The Lady
Wasliington and the Shark waited for a favorable wind and retreated up
the river, the fonuer to Rondout creek, where later on she aided the
shore batteries in giving battle to Vaughan's expedition. To save her
from the British, the crew scuttled her in the creek.

The British force which landed at King's Fen-y numbered twelve
hundred men under the command of Gen. Sir John Vaughan and nine
hundred under Lieut.-Colonel Campbell. Four hundred of Campbell's
cohimn were comprised in a body of "Loyal Americans," under the
notorious Colonel Beverly Eobinson, whose deserted residence was on
the east shore of the Hudson, opposite West Point. Landing under the
cover of the fog, the whole army took the road that led around tlie west
side of the Dunderberg. When they an-ived after a long detour at the
forks in the deep valley between the Dunderberg and Bear Mountain,
Vaughan's division halted, while Campbell's continiied on around to the
north side of Bear Mountain, to get in the rear of Fort Montgomery.
W^hile waiting to hear Campbell's guns, Vaughan was attacked by the
Ameiican scouts, and the long battle was begun.

The splendid resistance of the Americans was the only consolation the
young republic obtained for the destruction of defences that had cost a
('uarter of a million dollars and two years of labor and devotion, not all
of wliich could be paid for in money. General James Clinton was bay-
oneted at his post, but escaped deatli and made his way home. The
Governor dropped down the Heights unscratclicd, and from the beach
stepped into a small boat which was with othere putting off for the east
sliore. Colonel McClaughry, Major Logan, Colonel Allison and Col-
onel AVoodhiill were captured, with many others. To tlie credit of the

THE FALL, OF THE HIGHLAND FORTS. 119

British be it said, tlicy fouglit fairly and stained tlieir viotoiy with no
massacre. Tlie reinforcement from Pntnam an-ived on the opposite
side of the river in time to see the forts taken and the torch applied to
the shipping. Behind Fort Clinton was a pond, and between it and
the river a neck of land that had been obstnicted with an abatis, which
aided the garrison in retarding the advance of the foe. After the battle
the bodies of several soldiers were fonnd in the lake, while others were
left imburied on the land. The bones of the nnknown and unclaimed
were in the course of the following months gathered up and burned.

Such in brief is the story of the fall of Forts Clinton and Mont-
gomery. Though not the only battle fought on the soil of Rockland
count}', it was the most important. "The valor here displayed was
exceeded by no other instance during the war," was the world-wide opin-
ion. Xothing but overwhelming nmnbers gave the victory to Sir Henry
Clinton. In the British columns were many Tories well acquainted
with the topography of the district. Putnam has been blamed for the
disaster, but only a force on each shore equal to the English total could
have coimteraoted their strategy and I'epulsed their onset, and the
marshaling of such numbers under the limitations of the age, the place
and the population, was beyond the ability of the American people, and
for that no man was responsible.

The Fifth New York, commanded by Colonel Dubois, and Lamb's
Artillery were the Continental troops engaged. The Fifth was raised in
the counties of Orange and Ulster, and included Captain Amos Hiitchins'
company from Haverstraw and other sections of Southern Orange.
Other patriots from the same section were in Lamb's artillery and in
some of the militia battalions. Walter King of Orangetown fought
under Captain Humphrey, and though grievously wounded escaped
through the dark woods to a mountain cottage, where he lay l)etween life
and death for seven weeks, when returning strength enabled hun to get
hoTne. The militia engaged consisted mainly of portions of Mc-
Claughry's New Windsor regiment, Woodhull's of Cornwall, Allison's
(^'oshen regiment, and a few of other commands. Hasbrouck's of New-
burgli, though originally ordered to Fort ]\Iontgomery, was before the
light transfeiTcd to Fort Cojistitution. Colonel Hay's battalion was not
called to the forts, but was as usual on guard duty along the Haverstraw
.shore. The number of men who defended the ramparts was about six
hundred, and of these about two hundred were militiamen. Wliile it is

120 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

apparent that the Continentals bore the greater weight of the fight, every
man did his duty, and practically all were from the same section of
country, now comprised in the counties of Orange and Rockland. Gov-
ernor Clinton depended too much upon the ability or willingness of the
militia to respond. While they had answered previous calls nobly, they
failed in this instance.

The watennen played an inconspicuoiis part. In the absence of any
statement to the contrai-y, it is presumed they remained on their vessels
and lired into the assailants of the garrison when a mark was presented.
Sir Henry's fleet remained at anchor ofF Stony Point, except some small
■vessels Avhicli at one time dunng the day came within range and received
a furious fire from the batteries afloat and ashore. With the forts in
tlicir jx)ssession, the British easily imfastened the chain and cables that
obsti'ucted navigation. In the course of the next few days Sir Ilenr^^
Clinton took possession of Peekskill and massed the greater part, of his
f I )rces there. Putnam ofi^ered no resistance and both Fort Independence
and Fort Constitution were relinquished to the enemy. When the
marauding expedition imder Vaughan and Wallace started up the river,
their ships had a clear course, except at Polopel's Island, and here they
ei titer found a gap in the chevaux-de-frise or made one. The battery on
Plum Point was yet incomplete, and the few guns mounted rendered
little or no service, owing to lack of ammunition. Governor Clinton
collected the remnant of his troops at Little Britain, near Washing-ton
Lake, and many recruits came to him as he pursued Vaughan to Kings-
ton. The marauder did not remain long up the river after hearing of
IJUrgO}^le's defeat. With his headquarters at Peekskill, Sir Henry
C:iinton retained possession of the Highland forts for twenty days, when
he abandoned and destroyed them, and returned with all his forces to
IN'ew York.

Kefe^rences: Olint.on Papers. Bea^-h's Hfet. Cornwall. "Provincial and
Revolutionary Military Org-anizations" — Ruttenber. Uoynton'.s West Point.
.Tones's New York.

"THE FORT'S OUR OWN-" 121

CHAPTER X.

"THE FORT'S OUR OWN."
New Defences in the Highlands — Massacre at. "Old Tappan — Petition from
Citizens — Stony Point Seized by the British — Main Contineuit.al Army Arrives —
Stony Point Stormed and Recaptured by Wayne's Light Infantry — The Battle
Described — Fate of the Lady Washing-ton — The Fort Abandoned by the Ameri-
cans— Evacuated by the British.

EARLY the follo\ving year, 1778, the Americans began anew to erect
fortifications in the Highlands. West Point was chosen as the
place for the principal works. Forts, batteries and redoubts snc-
cessively appeared, rising in tiers from the water's edge to the crown of
Mount Independence, where Fort Pntnam stood overlooking all and
protecting the rear. Fort Arnold (afterwards Fort Clinton) on the edge
of the plain commanded a wide sweep of the river, and at every position
where a foe might appear great gnns looked threateningly through em-
brasures. The river was crossed by a massive chain and boom. The
links for the chain were forged at the Sterling Ironworks, carted to Brew-
stei''s forge at Moodna and there fitted together. Their average length
was a little over two feet, and the thickness of the iron two and a half
inches. They were floated down the river and arranged in position by
Cajitain Machin. Their total weight was 180 tons. When complete the
chain stretched across the river at its naiTowest part in connection with
a boom of heavy logs. Two years were spent in building the fortifica-
tions, and so extensive and formidable were they that West Point was
often referred to as the "American Gibraltar." Stony Point and Ver-
jjlanck's Point, thirteen miles south, were recognized by the strategists
of the day as positions of much importance, but not of a nature to be
successfully defended against a strong assault by either land or water.
Notwithstanding their admitted vulnerableness, some defences were
reared on the headlands in 1778, to serve as outposts for West Point and
at the same time give some protection to King's Ferry.

The scene of conflict was for the most part transferred from New
York State during the year 1778. The leading events in general his-
tory were the evacuation of Philadelphia by the British, June 18, fol-
lowed by the battle of Monmouth ten days later, the arrival of the
French fleet under Coimt d'Estaing and the massacres of Wyoming and

122 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Clicrry Valley. The guards along the west shore of the Tappan Zee
and in the Raniapo valley discharged their usual ardiious duties.
Colonel Hay at Ilaverstraw was tireless in receiving and fonvarding sup-
plies. King's Ferry was not molested.

The year, however, did not pass without blood being shed in this sec-
tion. The end of September found Lord Cornwallis ^vith a large detach-
ment of the British army occupying the country between Hackensack,
^. J., and the Hudson river for a strategical purpose. General Kny-
phausen at the same time with another part of the army was in the
county of Westchester opposite his Lordship, having the Hudson on his
left, the Bronx on his right. A war fleet, with a large number of flat-bot-
tomed boats, was anchored in the Hudson opposite the two encampments,
so that if Washington, whose headquarters was at White Plains, should
think proper to attack either wing, the other might be instantly trans-
ferred to its assistance. Washington, however, was detennined to put
nothing to the risk. Information coming to Cornwallis that an Ameri-
can battalion lately arrived from Virginia and commanded by Col. Bay-
lor, a young Virginian of reputable family and large estate, was quar-
tered three miles southwest of Tappan, he sent General Grey with twelve
companies on the night of the 27th to surprise it. Baylor's troops were
designated as "Mrs. AVashington's Own," because of their being from
Virginia. They were serving that night as an advance guard for a bri-
gade of the American army under Wayne, who with the main body \vas
at Orangeburgh. But we have stated only part of the British design.
It was their hope to capture or annihilate Wayne's brigade, as well as the
Virginia Light Dragoons. In combination with Grey's column, there-
fore, another was sent out by General Kuj^ihausen, from the east shore
of the river, to cross at Dobbs Ferry and get into the rear of Wayne.
Tlie enemy's Tory guides knew the roads as well, if not better, than the
Continental soldiers. Grey's camp was some miles distant from where
Baylor's troops were quartered. The Virginians having posted a few
pickets, these were cut off and silenced by Grey's advance guard at 2
o'clock in the morning. Baylor and his staff were at the house of Cor-
nelius A. Haring, and the rest in the houses and barns of the Blauvelts,
Demarests, Harings, Bogarts and Holdrinns. The total numlicr of dra-
goons was one hundred and sixteen.

The British wth fixed bayonets broke into the houses and barns, and
before the Virginians could have recourse to their amis, many were mas-

"THE FORT'S OUR OWN-" 123

sacred in cold blood. General Grey's inhuman orders were to "stab all
and take no prisoners." Men were bayoneted and brained after they liad
siu'rendered. With shameless brutality the King's swift and silent butch-
ers ran from bam to bam on their mission of blood. Some of theii- vic-
tims recei'S'ed as many as ten, some twelve homble thrusts through their
bodies. One English captain disobeyed orders and refrained from stab-
bing those who surrendered. When Grey departed he left eleven dead
and seventeen dying Virginians, and took away thirty-nine prisonei-s.
Tlie rest of Baylor's men escaped by flight or concealment, but not all
v.ithout terrible wounds. A merciful mind must shudder at the bare
mention of so inhuman a deed. It was not war but crime, and of the
deepest dye. General Wayne's brigade, fortunately warned in season,
escaped the clutches of Knyphausen's column.

On hearing the next morning of this shocking affair, Col. Hay called
out liis regiment and marched a few miles into New Jersey, but finding
ihiit he had Comwallis's army to contend with he returned to Clarks-
town and sent to Gov. Clinton for reinforcements. Captain Bell's com-
pany of Colonel Graham's regiment was ordered from New Jersey to
join Hay for the defence and protection of the inhabitants of the south-
ern part of the county. Bell's company had recently been fonned out
of the Ilaverstraw and Orangetown militia. Regiments from other parts
of Orange county were also ordered to the scene by the Governor, and
Washing-ton sent over to New City Woodford's brigade of 700, who
after a few days were drawn off to New Jersey. Hathom's and Marvin's
militia regiments, which came at the Governor's order, likewise remained
but a little while, much to the regret of the patriotic inhabitants.

From a numerously signed petition to the Governor for assistance,
dated October 18, 1778, it appears that the British marauders, after
butchering Baylor's dragoons, turned their cruelties against women and
old men, "whom they ti-eated with every kind of brutality their pei-fidi-
ousness could invent, and from thence extended their depredations to
witJiin a quarter of a mile of Clarkstown, and have continued every day
since to display in and about the State the most wanton scenes of cruel-
ty." The names attached to the petition are reproduced here to record
who were citizens in the exposed quarter:

Andris Onderdonk, Johannes Blauvelt, Thomas Blauvelt, Abraham
Blauvelt, Uyldrick Blaiivelt, Cornelius Blauvelt, Derick Vanderbilt,
Daniel Martine, Johannis Vandcrbielt, David Smith, John Coleman,

124 HISTORY OF ROCKL,AND COUNTY.

"William Sickels, Walter Van Orden, Jacob Onderdonk, Johannis
Blaiivelt, Abraham Blauvelt, David Pye, Jacob Cole, J. P.; G. Jones
John Stagg, Sr., John Farrand, John D. Haring, Wm. Heyer, Martines
Hogencamp, Abraham Lamatcr, Parent Xaugle, David Demeray, Yan
Nagie, John J. Bogert, Richard Blauvelt, Thos. Creger, Andrew Thomp-
son, James Emraens, Henry Broadwell, Ronlof Onderdonek, William
Stephens, Wm. Stutt, John Paulhemeus, Ilendrick Polhamoiis, Joseph
D. Clarck, Yohannes Nagel, Resalvert Striegansen, Gerret Onderdonek,
John Montanye, Edward Sayler, James Quackinbush, Nicholas Cox,
Isaac Blauvelt, Peter De Pue, Andris Onderdonek, Yohannes Meyer,
Joseph Seaman, David Van Sickel, Aart Polhemus, Andrew Cole,
Johannes J. Blauvelt, Capt. John Hoogland, David Van Houta, Joseph
Johnson, John Hallsed, Stephen Campbell, Jacobus de Clerck Roger
Osborn, Abram Derunder, Garrett Van Cleft, Abm. W. VanDeursen,
Peter Vandervoort, Jacob King, William Nagel, William Christie, Cor-
nelius Blaiivclt, John Tinkie, John Gardner, Daniel Haring, Jacobus
Van Veelen, Tobies Derunder, John Blauvelt, Gilbert Hunt, John On-
derdunck, Samuel Knapp, Wm. Conklin, Daniel Phillips, Eli Phillips,
Gibbart Phillips, Richard Dickens, Cornelius Cooper, Ilendrick Dermi-
der, Peter Cnim, Gilbert Williams, Rulof Stephens, John Stagg, John
Conkling, Joseph Conkling, Francis Gurnee, Lukus Degi'aw, Edward
Smith, John Smith, John Campbell, A. L. Haring, John Meyer, Johan-
nes VanDalfsen, Cornelius C. Roosevelt, Jacob Arden, Jr., John Suf-
fer n.

During the first week of December the appearance of a fleet of twen-
ty-si.x sail off aSTyack was an occasion for alarm, and for movements by
Continental troops. Five hundred Pennsylvanians were ordered to cross
from Peekskill to Haverstraw, and Nixon's brigade was directed to the
same place. On Friday the British landed at Tarrytowm, and after
gathering up such provisons as they coiild find, re-embarked and came on
lip the river to the head of Haverstraw bay, anchoring at 9 a. m. At
eleven they landed fifteen himdred men at King's Ferry (west side),
in the expectation of capturing stores, but these had been removed in
time to save them. The American post at the ferry could offer no resist-
ance to such numbers, and the guard retired. At three o'clock Nixon's
brigade advanced to attack the British at tlie fen-y, but the redcoats
fled back to their ships and set sail down the river. They had simply

•^,

*iM

V^*\

^smm..

JOSHUA UETT SMITH.

"THK FORT'S OUR OWN." 125

come on a foraging expedition. Provisions were scarce around New
York city, or clsewliore. That winter, wheat could not be had for less
than sixteen dollars per bushel, and other necessaries were proportion-
ately high.

When the spring of 1779 (the middle year of the war) opened, Wash-
ington's main Continental army, consisting at that time of regiments
from the Middle and Southern States, was in winter quarters at Middle-
brook, N. J., a feAV miles north of Bound Brook, where the men had
fared much better than at Valley Forge the year before. West Point
was garrisoned Avith Paterson's brigade of Continentals. Major-General
McDougall \vas at Peekskill, Gates at Providence. Sir Henry Clinton
proposed to force Washington to fight, preferably somewhere in the
open. The strength of the British anny at New York was thirteen
thousand. An advance on Middlebrook would only compel Washing-
ton to retreat farther away, while it would subject Clinton's commu-
nications to inten-uption and leave New York in danger. Indeed, in
pursuing Washington Clinton feared he might meet the fate of Bur-
goyne. He would try, then, to draw the American coramander-in-chit^f
out of the Jerseys, rather than drive him farther in. A movement
threatening West Point, "the key to the continent," might have the effect
of drawing him into a position where he coTild be dealt with decisively.
Sir Henry, however, as he aftenvard acknowledged, had no idea of
attacking West Point.

The first movement in the prosecution of this plan was the seizure of
Stony and Verplanck Points. As usual in British excursions up the
Hudson valley, this was a combined naval and militarj' expedition. The
ships and transports, numbering altogether about seventy sail, Avith
many small boats, moved up to Yonkers on Sunday, May 30 (1779),
and there took on board four thousand troops, under General Vaughan.
The same day they sailed for Haverstraw bay, with Sir Henry Clinton
commanding in pei-son, and all had an-ived by Monday noon, anchoring
out of range of the guns of Verplanck's. The guard at Stony Point on
discovering the fleet, began to draw off the military stores they had in
charge. A part of the army under Vaughan landed on the ea.st shore,
and the rest, under Clinton, sailed farther up and then landed, about
four o'clock, three miles below Stony Point, at Haverstraw village. The
peoi>le fled, but some of Colonel ITay's militia and other troops drew
up at a distance, but not in force sufficient to offer resistance. As Clin-

126 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ton's corps advanced leisurely in the direction of the Point, the Ameri-
can company stationed there applied the torch to the block house and
other structures and fell back to the mainland, and then into the moun-
tains.

Meanwhile some British ships were bombarding Fort Lafayette, at
A^erplanck's, and receiving a fire in return. Sir Henry continued on
around, with nothing to oppose him, and took possession of the heights.
The night was spent in landing guns from the ships and drawing them
up the steep sides of tlie promontory, a work of gi-eat difflculty. Fifty-
eight men in harness, besides many tugging at the wheels, were hardly
able to get up the heavy twelve-pounder.

By five o'clock in the morning batteries had been prepared and
opened ag-ainst Verplanck's. The distance between the points, fifteen
hundred yards, was found to be too great for all except three pieces, a
ten-inch mortar, an eiglit-inch howitzer and the heavy twelve-pounder.
General Pattison was in command of the artillery. The commander-
in-chief came ashore to watch the bombardment, to which some of the
sliips also contributed. The three guns of the barbette battery on Ver-
planck's answered with spirit, but the shots directed at Stony Point gen-
erally passed over head. At noon Vaughan's coi-ps appeared in sight
behind the fort, and the Vulture being stationed on the north side and
other ships to the south, escape was cut off for Captain Annstrong and
his company of seventy-five North Carolinians. Captain (afterward
]\lajor) Andre was then sent with a flag of truce to demand the surrender
of the place, and the comraander deeming further resistance useless,
permitted his colors to be lowered.

During these two days the Havei-straw militia were harassing the
rear of the British, but not doing much damage. On t^ie second day
five hundred men set out from the Point to capture three hundred head
of cattle that the Americans had driven into the country. The militia
made the journey fruitless and unpleasant by driving the cattle out of
reach and peppering the flanks all the way. Under Sir Henry Clinton's
orders, the engineers and artillerists set about to make Stony Point as
strong as possible. In the course of the next fortnight seven more
facine batteries, nearly all facing inland, were completed, mounting
twenty-four guns.

When Washington heard of Sir Henry Clinton's departure from
New York he immediately (May 30) put his army in motion and June

"THE FORT'S OUR OWN." 127

(ith passed Tuxedo Lake and entered the Eaniapo valley. On the fol-
lowing- day the Virginia division went into camp near the present New-
bnrgh Junction, the Pennsylvanians five miles beyond, in Smith's Clove,
"Widow Ambrose's," at the junction of the road to Fort Montgomery',
and the iMaryland division encamped between them. From these posi-
tions Washing-ton's forces could reach the Hudson by several different
routes in short order and in the most eflfective manner. He could find
the shore either at Haverstraw, Fort ilontgomery or Cornwall. There
was even a possibility of catching Sir Henry in a trap, if lie should ven-
ture higher or come looking for Washington in this valley. It was the
general American hope, as it was the English fear, that he would be
"Burgoyned." The Amei'ican Continentals and militia in the river
counties were also moving into strategical positions on the west and east
shores, in anticipation of an attack on West Point, which was the osten-
sible ultimate object of the offensive campaign. Washington resisted
the temptation to retaliate at this time, though the army keenly felt the
loss of the facilities which King's Ferry had afforded. It was a deep
game and Sir Henry Clinton's turn to play again.

The fort at Stony Point had a garrison of 750 infantry, besides a
company of artillery. It was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Johnson.
Extensive fortifications had also appeared at Verplanck's. While the
works were building, marauders overran nearly the whole county of
Westchester. Lea^^ng• the gai-rison and one ship, the Vulture, at
King's Ferry, the British commander-in-chief returned with the rest of
his naval and military forces to New York, from whence he sent Gen-
eral Tryon and Commodore Collier on a plundering expedition through
Connecticut. The secret but unsuccessful purpose of the devastation
of property was to draw Washington and his main army to that quarter.

By the first of July Washington had moved his lieadquartei-s from
Smith's Clove to the Ellison house on the river shore in New Windsor
village, which, since the closing of King's Ferry to the Americans, had
become an important transfer point. The main Continental army, now
numbering about ten thousand men, occupied these positions: The
center, at West Point, where McDougall was in command, with three
brigades of Massachusetts and North Carolina troops; the left wing,
under General Heath, and composed of Massachusetts and Connecticut
divisions, at Garrisons, on the east side of the river; the right, consti-
tuted by the Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania brigades heretofore

128 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

mentioned, and now commanded by General Putnam, wcrc in Smith's
Clove and at the Forest of Dean Mines.

At this time General Anthony "Wayne was called from his home at
Chester, Pa., and assigned to the command of the"Light Infantry
Corps," the members of which, fonr battalions, had been posted on the
plateau on the west bank of the ris'er, north of and near Port IMont-
gomery. It was an organization new to the army, and popularly con-
sidered the "crack" corps, but by Washington intended for a special
pui-pose, the nature of which he intimated to its energetic and daring
commander at the outset. Washington considered that while the enemy
were making excursions to distress the country, it had a very disagi-ee-
able aspect for him to remain in a state of inactivity. The reputation
of the army and the good of the service seemed to exact some enterprise
on his part. The importance of Stony Point to the enemy made it
desirable that this defiant promontory should be the object.

To that end he instructed Wayne to gain all the information he
could concerning the nature, situation and strength of the British works,
and the Pennsylvania general, whom some people delighted to call
"mad," M'ent the next day (July 2), in company with two of his officers,
Colonel Butler and Major Stewart, to reconnoitre the situation of the
works'. In his report to his superior lie minutely described the bat-
teries, the abatis and the topographical features, and remarked that the
position was so fonnidable that "a storm" would be impracticable, but
perhaps "a surprise" might be effected. This was but the firet of a
series of inspections by Wayne. The matter was most carefully con-
sidered by Washington, who himself on at least one occasion went -with
Wayne to examine the position and approaches. So thorough was
tlieir preliminary calculations, it is conceivable that everything in tactics
which transpired at the assault had been pliotographed in advance by
tlieir imagination. This is evident from the remarkable letter of final
instructions which Washington sent to Wayne on the 10th and from
Wayne's "Order of Biattle." At least one officer unknown to AVayne
made an observation at the instance of Washington. ^lajor HaiTy Lee's
legion of troopers and riflemen lurked in the mountain behind the prom-
ontory or peered curiously down from the craggy sides of olil Dunder-
berg, losing no opportunity to obtain information. Colonel Rufus

"THE FORT'S OUR OWN." 129

Putnam, an engineer of note, and then attached to the Light Infantry-
Corps, perched himself on a commanding knob and made careful sur-
veys and sketches.

Up at Wayne's camp a magnificent body of infantry was being fash-
ioned with enthusiasm. The inspiration for it had come from abroad,
but American genius was improving on the original pattern. In
European armies there were brigades of special construction and excep-
tional quality to which it was esteemed a high honor to belong. Pride
of corps was encoui-aged by elegance of uniform, a distinctive designa-
tion and positions of honor — and danger. Napoleon's Guard was a
later exemplification of the idea, but the American republic in modem
times has not considered it advisable to follow the precedent. Wayne
agreed with the sentiment that pride in a soldier was a substitute for
almost every other virtue. He acknowledged that he was so much
prejudiced in favor of an elegant unifomi that he would rather risk his
life and reputation at the head of a well groomed brigade, even though
it were provided with only one round of ammunition, than lead the
same men when well armed but poorly clothed. "It may be a false idea,
but I can't help cherishing it," he added. While Washington did not
believe in making too great a difference between the Light Infantiy
corps and the troops of the line, he promised a good siipply of clothing.
The country was now too poor to furnish a gay outfit : a pair of overalls,
two shirts, a hat, one blanket, and a pair of shoes per man, was the best
that could be done at that moment for the ragged Continentals about
to be rushed into the jaws of death..

The strength of the corps was augmented until it comprised four
regiments of two battalions each, •^\ith four full companies to every bat-
talion. The regimental commanders were : Pii-st, Colonel . Christian
Pebiger; Second, Colonel Richard Butler; Third, Colonel Jonathan
Meig-s; Fourth, Colonel Eufus Putnam. The battalion commandci-s
were Lieut.-Colonel Pleury and Major Thomas Posey; Lieut.-Colonol
Samuel Hay and Major John Stewart; Lieut.-Colonel Isaac Sherman
and Acting Major Henry Champion; Major William Hull and Major
Hardy Murfree. Every regiment then with the main Continental army
was represented in the Light Infantry Coi-ps. SLx companies of Vir-
ginians and two of Pennsylvanians composed the Pirst Regiment; four
from the Pennsylvania line and four from the Maryland the Second;

130 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

eight Connecticut companies made up the Third Eegiment, and six
Massachusetts and two North Carolina companies constituted the
Fourth.

That such a corps became exceptionally proficient in tactics may
rightfully be supposed. The personnel was probably unequalled any-
where oiitside of the young republic. They would not have been Amer-
ican soldiers of the line if other than men of the first order, inured to
physical exertion, trained to accurate marksmanship and accustomed to
field and forest. America never had to make excuses for her soldiei-s
and sailors.

Wayne was "a heaven-made general." So he was denominated by
Sir Hem-y Clinton. He wa.s a native of Chester county. Pa., and at
the outbreak of the war was engaged in tilling his ancestral acres. He
had received a superior education and his services as a surveyor and con-
veyancer were often in demand. He had also inherited from his father
a tannery business with extensive connections. Besides being a man of
substance and education, he was a figure in society. In an age when
homespun simplicity was the nile, ilr. Wayne's fine broadcloth suit,
laifiled wristbands and bosom, his jaunty three-cornered beaver and
highly polished boots gave his graceful person no little distinction.

The infantrymen knew they were not intended for an ornamental
jmrpose. Their immediate duty as the van of the army was to be the
first to meet an onset against West Point. It was well understood that
Sir Henry Clinton might appear again at any moment with his great
armament. "Whatever means the 'enemy may employ," ;i-emarked
Bar-on Steuben one day to Washington, "I am positive that their opera-
tions are directed exclusively to getting possession of this post and the
river as far as Albany. If this is not their plan they have not got one
which is worth the expense of a campaign. On their success depends
the fate of America."

Stony Point, strongly fortified and gamsoned, was a thoni in the
American side. It hurt. As a matter of fact, it was a wedge driven
into the most important line of American defenses. Another stroke
might drive it farther. The British had great faith in the stronghold
they had built. It was generally considered imprcgnal>le. An Amer-<
ican captain who had to go to the fort with a flag of trace was twitted
with the question if his people intended to stoi-m. "We will let you send

"THE FORT'S OUR OWN." 131

your best engineer to take a plan of the works before you attack," the
p]nglishman added sarcastically.

The little tongue of land was undeniably a hard proposition for the
American military mind to consider. The King's men were more
capable of defending it than the Continentals, for the reason that they
were not required to pro\ade against a naval bombardment. Nearly
all their batteries pointed landward, as the one side from which the
enemy must approach if he came at all. The other three sides were
inaccessible to the Americans. The garrison, nearly six hundred strong,
consisted of the Seventeenth Regiment of Foot, the Grenadier company
of the Seventy-first Regiment, a company of the Loyal Americans, and
detachments of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and Volunteei's of
Ireland.

After examining the problem, Washington came to the conclusion
that the assault should be made under cover of darkness, and mth the
utmost secrecy. He favored a bayonet charge with unloaded muskets.
Cold steel would be better than a shower of lead with much noise. He
desired that the officers should be informed in advance what batteries or
particular parts of the line they were respectively to seize. To avoid
confusion and fatal mistakes in the darkness, every American shoiild
wear a white cockade or other \-isiblc badge of distinction. The assault,
he believed, should be made in three divisions, and secrecy was moi'o
essential than numbers. Too much caution could not be used to conceal
the intended enterprise from all but the principal officers until the
moment of execution. As the usual time for such exploits was a little
before daylight, and sentries were then more vigilant, Washington for
that reason recommended a midnight hour. The main attack should
proceed from the beach on the south side, and the darker the night the
better.

The views of Wayne and his field officers coincided with Washing-
ton's in the main, but they suggested that as the troops would derive
confidence from the reputation of numbers, it be given out that the
whole Virginia line was to support the Light Infantry.

Wayne's plan of operations, supplementing Washington's general
instructions, specified a march around the Bear and Dnndcrbcrg moun-
tains by existing roads or paths, to the rear of the Point, the identical
route over which the British advanced two years previously to attack

132 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

3'^ort Montgomery. There was a nearer way whicli cut off the long cir-
cnit behind Bear Mountain, bnt tlie column might be exposed. The dis-
tajice by the longer route was fourteen miles, and almost every mile
rough and wearisome. In the final arrangements it was concluded not
to use Colonel Rufus Putnam's entire regiment (the Fourth), and Major
Hull's battalion on this occasion consisted of a detachment of the Mas-
sachusetts line from West Point. Colonel Putnam did not participate
in the adventiire, but remained at Fort Constitution, and Major Hull
assumed command of what for the occasion was recognized as the Fomlh
Ilegiment.

The fifteenth of July was a hot and sultry day. Orders had been
issued for a general review of the Light Infantry Coi-ps at Sandy Beach,
two miles aboA'e Fort Montgomery. The men had been drilled by com-
panies and battalions, but this was to be the first mobilization of the
entire corps. It was an occasion of no little importance, and not a little
rivalry was manifested. When, at twelve o'clock, the men found them-
selves marching in a long column down toward Fort Montgomery, they
may have considered the movement a part of the drill. But as they
continued on and on, entering the mountains, some wonder must have
been expressed. At Clement's fork, behind Bear Mounfain, whei'e they
rested and ate their rations by the brookside, a glimmer of the trath
may have passed from lip to lip; and when, on resvmiing the march, the
column turned to the left, instead of keeping to the right, suspicion must
have given place to conviction in their minds. The right-hand road
would have taken them to the Forest of Dean Mines, but this led to
— Stony Point.

General AVayne timed the march so as to arrive at David Spring-
steel's house, near the lower edge of the mountains, at eight. Captain
McLean's rangers had protected the advance that far; they had arrested
and detained all stragglers, they had posted guards at every house in
the district to prevent exit, and made sure that no tale-bearer entered
the fort. ISTot even a dog barked as the ranks silently came near the end
of the arduous march. The English reported subsequently that our
scouts had killed every dog in the vicinity.

It was a beautiful summer eve; darkness was settlino- dovvii; the
air was laden with the rich perfume of the season. At the brook the
heroes qiTcnched tlieir thirst, ate their frugal ration and discussed in

"THE FORT'S OUR OWN." 133

Avhispers the business that had been assigned them. Unexpectedly called
lo face death again, the solemn truant tliought and the quickened heart
throb must have come even to these brave fellows in this still hour.

Here in the vale, where tlie corps lingered for several hours, the
orders of the night were read and explained. Every man learned what
was for him to do, and was encouraged by the announcement that the
whole Virginia line was coming behind, and that Captain Christie's
Pennsylvanians were on picket duty in front. Wayne himself had
gone on ahead for a final survey. Pieces of white paper were passed
around, one for every hat, as Washington had commanded. When
Wayne returned the dispositions were made and the last instnictions
given. The corps, which had a strength of 1,150, was divided into
thi'ee principal parts and each designated as a column. The leaders in
each column had all been over the ground. The columns were desig-
nated naturally as right, center and left, which corresponded to the
places they were to each respectively assault. The riglit column would
circle around and rush into the south side of the works, the left would
execute its part on the north side, and the oolunm of the center advaucp
as if for direct assault.

The right column was arranged in thi'ee sections. First, a "forlorn
hope" detachment of twenty picked men, Virginians and Pennsylva-
nians, led by Lieut. Knox; next one hundred and thirty Virginians and
Pennsylvanians, under Colonel Fleury, and finally the main body under
Colonel Febiger, but with General Wayne commanding in person.
Meig-s's Eegiment and Hull's Battalion were in this column.

The left column, imder the general command of Colonel Butler,
■was similarly arranged. The "forlorn hope" detachment was led by
T.ieut. Gibbons. Then followed one hundred Maryland boys under
Major Stewart, with Butler's Eegiment close behind.

The third column consisted of Major Murfree's two companies of
Isort.h Carolinians.

Captain Benjamin Fishborne and Captain Henry Archer were aids
to General Wayne. The orders were for the "forlorn-hope" men to deal
with the sentries and make an opening in the abatis for the column to
pass through. The moment the riish lines succeeded in getting inside
the works they were to set up a shout, "The fort's our own!" Until
tlien silence must rule. The honor of leading the "forlorn hopes" was

134 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY,

awarded by lot. A bounty of five liimdred dollars with immediate pro-
motion was oiTered as a prize for tlu.^ first man who entered the works,
with $400 for the second; $300 for third; $200 for the fourth, and $100
to the fifth. The main attack was to be from the south, and the cen-
tral assault in the nature of a feint, designed to draw the enemy to the
causeway and leave the flanks and rear exposed. The North Carolinians
in making their demonstration over the usually traveled road were to
use firearms, hut the other columns were to rely on silence and the bay-
onet. The preparations were all finished at eleven, and General Wayne
sat down to express his thoughts of the moment to a dear friend. His
concluding words were: "I am called to sup, but where to breakfast —
either within the enemy's lines in triumph, or in another world."

At half-past eleven came the order to advance. The distance from
Spring-steel's to the marsh which separated the promontory from the
mainland was a mile and a half, and thirty minutes was the time allowed
for reaching there. The column led by Wayne passed around and
through where the village is now, and the one under Butler followed a
farm lane to the northerly side. The !North Carolina companies kept
on down the direct road to the edge of the marsh, where they waited
until the moment came to open fire.

A few words about the leaders. Knox and Gibbons, who led the
"forlorn hojies,"' were young Pennsylvanians. Lieut.-Colonel Fleury
was a gallant Frenchman; Major "Jack" Stewart, a jaunty Marylander;
Colonel Ckristian Febiger, popularly called "Old Denmark," was, like
Fleury, a soldier of fortune, and hail won liis spurs at Bunker Hill and
Quebec. Major Thomas Posey of Virginia rose to be a Major-General
in the war of 1S12, and was the second Governor of Indiana. Colonel
Meigs had served under Montgomery at Quebec. Lieut.-Colonel Sher-
man had fought at Trenton and Princeton. The reason why no New
York, New Jersey, Rhode Island or New Hampshire troops were pres-
ent this night was that they were fighting with S\illivau against the Six
Nations.

Stony Point was a black and forbidding forni dimly outlined in the
darkness. The tide was yet high when Wayne's column stole cautiously
down to the beach. Water covered the sands, and there was no other
way than through it. Two hundred yards distant crouched the lion-like
fortress. The first splash in the water would mean discovery. "For

"THE FORT'S OUR OWN." 135

ward!" Knox and his gallant twenty led the way into the water. A
shot rang out from the Bi-itish picket line. "To arms!'' was the cry
that came across the water. The cohimn waded on with gims a-shoul-
der, aiming to strike the side of the j^eninsula beliind the double row of
abatis that extended across the front of the works from the water's edge.
The British were running to their batteries, breastworks and redoubts.
Just then came a crash of miisketry and shouts on their immediate front.
The North Carolinians had begun to "amuse" themselves. The Biitish
batteries opened and a torrent of gi'apeshot and shell belched across the
morass. The head of the right column was now directly under the fort.
The increasing fire from the embrasures above passed mostly overhead.
The feint on the front was of the greatest help to the Americans in draw-
ing the enemy's fire in that direction. As the pioneers and rushers
struck the almost perpendicular bank, Lieut-Colonel Fleury left liis
position in line, ran ahead of the "Twenty," and came up even with
Knox. General Wayne had been marching beside Colonel Febigcr,
but before they came to the morass he ordered the Colonel down the
flank to reiterate his orders about not firing. But "Old Denmark" hur-
riel forward again, and was not far from the front when the charge up
the hill began. "Come on; we defy you!" cried angTy voices from
above. "We'll be with you in a minute," was the American retort.

Until now the marching order had been well maintained; not a shot
had been fired or a loud word spoken in the column on the right. Fear
had departed; victory, rewards and promotion were in sight; the strife
now was to get there first. The start was scarcely a fair one; Fleury
and Knox had the lead of Skelton, Febiger, Posey, Meigs, Hill, Sher-
man, Lawson, McDowell and Hay, whose names stajid out on history's
page, and who necessarily had to keep their places in the line. The
first line of abatis was turned by most of the troops, but the second was
in the way and had to be chopped tlarough, torn open or surmounted.

The pioneers made a small opening, rushed on, and all poured
through the sally port and over the parapet. Fleury climbed a bas-
tion and was the first man in, and the fii-st to shout, in broken English,
"The fort's our own!" Knox was right at his heels. Sergeant Baker
of Virginia, bleeding from four wounds, was the third to enter. Sergt.
Spencer, also a Virginian, and wounded, was the fourth, Sergt. Dunlop
of Pennsylvania the fifth. Five voices united in the cry, "The fort's
our o'ft'n!"

136 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The American officers led their companies to seize the varions bat-
teries and positions that had been assigned to them in the plan. The
white cockade distingiiished friend from foe in the daxkness. Colonel
Febiger went in with the rush line, seized the first Britisher he enconn-
tcred and demanded to be led to Colonel Johnson, the commandant of
the fort. At this juncture most of the British infantrymen and Colonel
Johnson with them were down defending the front approach, which
our North Carolinans appeared to be assaulting. Hearing the shouts
of victory from the heights behind him, Johnson turned back, encoun-
tered fleeing men and was informed that the Americans were in posses-
sion of the main body of the fort, having come up the side.

Lieut. Gibbons, with his "forlorn hope," was leading the left col-
umn toward the north side of the promontory. When going up the
hill Major Stewart took the responsibility of changing the order of bat-
tle. He directed Gibbons squad to diverge to the right, while he kept
on along the hillside to the eastern extremity of the point. With Gib-
bons was Major Normont de Laneuville, a Frenchman, who was ren-
dering gallant service. With their clothing muddy and torn, they
entered the main works boldly and encountered resistance. Only four
of the party came through without wounds to join the right column at
the summit. They took forty prisoners. The manner of the Ameri-
can entry split the garrison into sections, which were separately over-
whelmed. Resistance of a desperate kind was sometimes encountered,
and some few accepted death rather than surrender. Mercy was
granted when appealed for. Bullets as well as bayonets completed the
conquest, which had occupied about twenty-five or thirty minutes. The
Hag of the fort continued at the masthead for some time after the Amer-
icans could have lowered it. One of the Gibbons party struck it and as
it came fluttering down a soldier caiight and handed it to Lieut.-Colonel
T'leiiry. General Wayne was struck down by a bullet as he paused for
a moment at the second abatis. Stunned for a moment, and fearing
that the wound Avas mortal, he asked to be carried forward, that he
might die if need bo in the fort. The injury proved not to be serious.
At 2 a. m. he dispatched the news of the victory to Washington.

Guns were at once brought to bear against Verplanck's Point by a
company of artillery led by Captain Pendleton and Captain Bnrr, and
they also directed a few bolts at TI. M. S. Vulture, which was lying in

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THE ANDKE MONUMENT, TAPPAN.

"THE FORT'S OUR OWN." 137

the stream, causing her to hasten out of range. The effect of the firing
could not be observed in the darkness, but the enemy made no reply.

Fifteen Americans laid down their lives that night; eighty-three
were wounded. Of the British sixty-three were killed, and over seventy
wounded; five hundred and forty-three were taken prisoners to East on,
Pa. The Americans secured fifteen pieces of artillery and military
stores that were appraised at $158,040.82, and purchased at that price
by Congress, the money being divided among the soldiers who took
part in the fight. Each private's share was $78.92. General Wayne
received $1,420.51. Other spoils worth about twenty-two thousand
dollars were apportioned among the regiments. Fleury and Kno.x
declined to accept the money reward to which they were entitled, pre-
ferring to have it distributed among their men. Fleury also preferred
to stay with the Light Infantry Corps rather than be promoted else-
where. Wayne, Fleury and Stewart received medals from Congress;
Gibbons, Knox and Archer promotion.

Washington had planned for an attack on Verplanck's the next day,
but a series of accidents stayed the blow, and Sir Henry Clinton saved
the place by quickly throwing an anny in between it and the Amer-
icans. Washington had no thought of holding Stony Point, and after
the removal from there of everything worth taking, and when tlie
dead had been buried and the seriously wounded sent to places of safety,
the fort wa.s Inirnt and demolished and the position abandoned (m the
18th. A British fleet arrived in Haverstraw Bay on the 19th, and Sir
Henry Clinton again took possession, biit Washington had accomplishe<l
his purpose.

The day before the Americans retired, they suffered the final loss of
the Lady Washing-ton. The intrepid little man-of-war had been raised
from the bottom of Rondout creek in the fall of 1777, and restored to
the naval service of the republic. When Wayne was gathering Tip the
fruits of his victory, the Lady Washington came down to assist with
the transportation. She had been loaded with captured stores and was
standing off for West Point when the batteries at Verplanck's Point
and H. M. S. Vulture, with two consorts, opened on her and a shot
pierced her side below the water line. The crew had no other recourse
than to run her agTound and burn her. The Light Infantry Cor]is
returned to their former cainp near Fort Montgomery and remained

138 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

there until October, wlien they moved openly down to Haverstraw and
threatened Stony Point again. Sir Henry Clinton thereupon aban-
doned King's Ferry altogether.

References: Historica-l Manusoripts. Clinton Papers. Johnston's "The
Storming- of Stony Point." Dawson's "The Assault of Stony Point."

CHAPTER XL

THE WAGES OF TREASON.
General Arnold Assdg-.niecl to Commiind West Point — He Conspirejs to Betray
the Fortress — Intercourse With .loshua Hett Smith — His Midnight Meeting-
Witfli Mlajor Andre — At tllie Smith Mansion — Aires* of Andre — Flight of
Arnold — Smith Acquitted — Court^Martial and Execution of the Spy.

THE story of Arnold and Andre is inseparably connected with the
history of Rockland County. Here the remarkable drama in real
life was mostly played; the territory of the old county, with its
fortified passes, was the prize in the game of war and conspiracy. The
King's cause was declining, the people's strengthening; France had
come to the aid of the new States. West Point, "the key to the conti-
nent," was their great fortress and arsenal, the unbreakable, choking
grip on the neck of Oppression. Major-General Benedict Arnold, then
high in the affections of his countrymen, the most conspicuous fighter
that the war had produced, a fearless leader and consummate strategist,
had been entrusted with the command of this department. And inas-
much as he was now lame from wounds received in fighting the battles
of his country, the general feeling was that the assignment was a sin-
gularly fitting one. Washington even contemplated gi^nng Arnold the
command of the American division of the allied army in a proposed
attack on New York.

But the people did not know their man. Arnold had applied for
the appointment of the most important military command in the coun-
try, next to that of commander-in-chief, with no other intention than
to betray it. The proof of this was left by Sir Henry Clinton. For
eighteen months previous to the discovery of the treason he was in cor-
respondence with the unfaithful American oflPcer. Coimt back eigh-
teen mouths from September 24, ITSO, and we find that Arnold was then
stationed in Philadelphia as the military go^•ernor, and was about to be

THE WAGES OF TREASON. 139

marripci to the daughter of a lending royalist. He had assumed the
fommand of that city, by the direction of Washington, on June 19,
1778, the day following the evacuation by the British. As the military
governor, the hero of many battles and occupying the pretentious man-
sion erected by William Penn, he was a considerable figiire in the
national capital. ISTot being an adherent of the doctrine of democratic
simplicity, he added to the dignity of his official position a luxurious
style of living, and further ornamented his career by winning the hand
of beautiful Peggy Shippen. Few young men in all the world's his-
tory had ever risen to such a height of glory so quickly; no war of
America since has been illuminated by such a bright military-me-
teor. In Philadelphia he reached the zenith of his career as a man of
honor, and there, too, began his sensational downfall.

It will be found that at the date when his epistolary correspondence
with Sir Henry Clinton began, he was writhing under humiliating and
unjust imputations. He had been reqTiired in the discharge of his duty
to enforce certain unpopular regulations, and a feeling of animosity had
been engendered -which he took no trouble to conciliate. ■ His ostenta-
tious style of li\'ing, inciu'ring expenses which he was not able to liqui-
date, his attentions to Miss Shippen, and in general his intimacies with
loyalist families, were also subjects of criticism by the republicans.

The feeling of hostility towards him in certain circles cidminatcd in
charges being preferred to CongTess by the Executive Council of the
city and spread broadcast through the land a few weeks before his mar-
riage. Though they had their origin in the violence of party strife in
time of war, they sufficed to bring great discredit upon him. Arnold's
cliief offense was not charged in the official indictment, and consisted in
giving an entertainment to which not only Tory ladies, but the wives and
daughters of persons proscribed by the State were admitted. Answering
this, he said he was not making war on women. The charges hung for
a year ere a decision was rendered. The defendant grieved under the
delay, which was all the more irritating because it clouded his court-
ship and honeymoon, and provoked his resignation as militars' governor.
It was at this crisis that lie listened to temptation. Loyalists of promi-
nence expressed sympathy and exaggerated the injustice of his country.
They prepared his mind for overtures which came from New York; but

140 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

it is not believed that Arnold committed himself fully until final judg-
ment was rendered and the pending case closed by the public censure
administered by Washington.

"I reprimand yon," said the General, "for having forgotten that in
proportion as you had rendered yourself formidable to our enemies,
you should have been guarded in your deportment toward your fellow
citizens. Exhibit anew those noble qualities which have placed you
on the list of our most valued commanders. I shall myself furnish you,
as far as it may be in my power, with opportunities for regaining the
esteem of your country."

In such a reprimand Arnold might have discovered eulogy implied,
but it remained a humiliation and not the first tliat Arnold had suffered
at the hands of Congress. Wire-pulling was not a science ^mkno^vn
in army circles, and Arnold, as well as other heroic leaders, had in times
past felt the cruelty of favoritism. His social prestige in the city had
been iiTctrievalily damaged; he was heavily in debt and looked forward
to the restoration of peace and the disbandment of the army with appre-
hension. He feared that he might not be so successful in the paths of
peace as he had been on the battle-field. This much he revealed.

The combination of circumstances which led him into the web of
conspiracy cannot be traced. The secret perished with the chief actors.
Only a few suggestive facts have been handed down. Mrs. Arnold was
personally acquainted with Major Andre. Their acquaintance began
under parental auspices, when the British occupied Philadelphia. Let-
ters from Andre reached her home after he had departed from their city.
It has been surmised that this acquaintance to some extent introduced
the correspondence between Sir Hcniy Clinton and General Aniold.
To what extent Mrs. Arnold was implicated in the final conspiracy was
never exhibited. Arnold declared and Washington believed her to be
innocent. Her youth was her best defence.

The subject matter of the correspondence at the beginning was
never revealed, except that Sir Henry Clinton stated that it was cai-ried
on under the guise of commercial transactions. Not until the traitor
obtained the command of "West Point and its dependencies" was it in
his power to do much damage to the American cause. He received the
a])pointment after personal application to Washington, and General
Schuyler ond others, \ipon his request, employed their influence in his

THE WAGES OF TREASON. 141

belialf. Arnold gave liis lameness as a reason for preferring this post
to service in the field. Hitherto he had refeiTed to his wounds as an
excuse for inaction.

On taking up his duties the first week in August, 1780, Arnold
established his headquarters at the Beverly Eobinson house, at Gar-
rison. Eobinson having joined the Eoyalists, the Government had
confiscated his real estate. Arnold now had something of value in his
basket to take to the market of treason.

When on the way to his appointment, General Arnold with his
family alighted at the hospitable mansion of Mr. Joshua Ilett Smith, at
Haverstraw, on the road to King's Ferry. Mr. Smith spread his table
with cheerfulness for their entertainment, and conceived the General's
acquaintance "an honorable acquisition." The host was a gentleman
of education and large means. His father, a lawyer, who died in 1769,
had obtained political and professional prominence during a long career
in New York city, under and somewhat with the favor of English gov-
ernors; an older brother, William, followed in their father's steps and
became Chief Justice of Canada, and now was Chief Justice of the Prov-
ince of New York, besides the author of "Smith's History of New York,"
a work of celebrity. General and Governor George Clinton had studied
for the bar in the otfice of Judge Smith at New York. Joshua Hett
Sinith, also a lawyer, was the youngest of six brothers, and there were
several sisters. The family connedtions were wide and infl'uential.
Colonel A. Hawks Hay and Colonel Lamb of ai"tillei-y fame were con-
nected with the family by ties of marriage.

It is difficult to analyze the political sentiments of the family. Only
one of the brothers so far as known, Thomas, refused to sign the Asso-
ciation, and he aftenvard gave unmistakable evidence of his friendship
for the revolution. Had Joshua Hett Smith been in sympathy with the
Ivoyalist cause, instead of being the revolutionist he professed to be, he
would still have been nowise different from many of his county neigh-
bors. The avowed Royalists of America were so nimierous fliat they
furnished twenty thousand men for the King's armies during the coui-sc
of the war. In common with everybody else immediately descended
from English parents, the Smiths of Haverstraw were suspected of dis-
affection to the American cause. The family had reason to be per-
plexed, having social and business ties on both sides, and much at stake.

142 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

For two years Judge William Smith, the elder brother, continued witliin
the American lines. Being a prominent per.sonage, he was the object
of no little public attention. Principally because of his past relations
to the British government, he was by some called a spy. Whether jus-
tified or not, the feeling against him culminated in his an-est and ban-
ishment from the lines. A historian of that era (Jones) denounced the
proceedings as fraudulent and intended for no other purpose than to
deceive the British authorities as to Judge Smith's real character, which,
he declared, was that of a spy for the rebels. It was fui'ther charged
that he had helped the ISTew York Legislature to frame the State Consti-
tution. Compelled to take a stand, Judge Smith fully identified him-
self with the Royalists and his abilities were recognized by his appoint-
ment as the British Chief Justice.

ITow the passions of the war disrupted families was apparently exem-
plified in this case: Joshua Hett Smith, with Dr. Cutwater and Col-
onel Sherwood, was elected to the Third Provincial CongTess (May 14
till June 30, 1776), and also to the Fourth Congress (July 9, 1776, till
May 13, 1777); all three opposed the measure of independence that
had been adopted by Congress, and then acquiesced to the will of the
majority. In regard to another brother, Thomas, there is a letter on
record, -\vi-itten by him to General Clinton, in April, 1777, dated from
Haverstraw, in which after referring to the depredations of "the enemy"
in the southern part of the county, he lays down the maxim that, "the
State that exacts alleg-iance must give protection, and when the latter is
withheld the former cannot be exacted." He adds: "As the country
below the mountains is entirely defenceless, I think it prudent to remove
my family to Ringwood, and I shall be much obliged to you for a pennit
to pass the lines in the Highlands with my children and effects. As the
next southerly wind may bring xvp the enemy, the sooner I have it the
better, ^j best respects to your brother and all friends."

During the few weeks that Arnold remained in command of the
department, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Arnold made frequent visits to each
other, and the General was as freqiiently with Mr. Smith, "in search of
those culinary supplies unattainable in the mountainous recesses where
he resided." Mrs. Arnold, according to the Narrative left by Mr.
Smith, "was qualified from a most amiable disposition and every engag-
ing attraction to be at once the example and ornament of the politest cir-

THE WAGES OF TREASON. 143

elcs." As for General Arnold, Mr. Smith felt liappy in rendering him
every aid in his power, "and cultivated his acquaintance from motives
of security." Mrs. Arnold was by every account a very handsome
kdy. At this crisis she was but twenty years old. Mrs. Smith was not
many years older, and had been raised in South Carolina. Joshua II.
Smith was thirty-one; Benedict Arnold thirty-nine.

From his elevated residence Smith frequently observed flags of truce
passing and repassing on the river, and sometimes he took the liberty
of asking Arnold if the flags were for the exchange of prisoners. At
first he received answers to the general effect that in a short time the bus-
iness of the flags would be explained. Later, General Arnold was more
conununicative and said tlie flags had brought letters from Colonel Bev-
erly Johnson, who was aiixious to make terms for the recovery of his
confiscated property, and, further, was authorized to propose sfime pre-
liminary grounds for "an accommodation" between Great Britain and
America. Colonel Lamb of the Artillery Corps at West Point being
present and hearing these remarks, interjected that any proposition of
that kind ought to be made to Congress. General Arnold replied that
the communication must first be made through some channel, and there
ihe subject was changed.*

On another occasion Arnold ridiculed the alleged inconsistency of
an absolute monarch being the ally of a people contending for free-
dom. At the same time he mentioned that he had received another
flag of truce by which Beverly Johnson had solicited an inteindew
intended to be "more explanatory of the propositions that were to pro-
duce, if acceded to by Congress, a general peace, and happily tenninatc
the expense of blood and treasvire that was ruinous to both countries in
the prosecution of a war without an object," as the conversation was
reported by Mr. Smith.

In one of his confidential moments the conmiander of West Point
complained of having been ill-used by Congress, in not sufficiently esti-
mating his seiwices. "Smith," he exclaimed, "here am I now, after
having fought the battles of my country, with a ruined constitution and
this limb useless to me. At the termination of this war where can I
seek compensation for such damages as I have sustained?"

Asked by Mr. Smith if he had informed General Washington of

* Colonel Lamb oorroborated Smith, in reg-ard to tMs conversation, at the

eoufrt-martial.

144 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Ilobiiison's application, Arnold answered that lie had written to him for
directions how to act, but that the Commander-in-chief had then gone
to Connecticut or Rhode Island to visit Count Rochambeau, the com-
mander of the French troops, lately arrived from France. At length
Arnold announced to Smith that Robinson was coming to an interview,
and invited him to conduct a flag of trace to bring the British represen-
tative ashore from the Vulture. "I was so deeply interested in the
object of this meeting," wTites Smitli in his Xarrative, "as represented
bv General Arnold, and tlie success of it was so congenial to my wishes
tliat I made no hesitation to assure him of my cheerful concurrence;
and in a day or two afterwards General Arnold came to my house at
Ilax'erstraw with tlie necessary passports for my mission to the Vulture."

On Tuesday, September 19, 1780, Major John Andre, Adjutant-
General of Sir Henry Clinton's army, left New York and came by way
of King's Bridge to Dobbs Ferry (east shore), and thence by boat to H.
M. S. Vulture, then lying in Haverstraw Bay. He arrived on board at
seven in the evening,and found Colonel Beverly Robinson awaiting him.
The only explanation for Robinson's appearance on the scene is that he
as well as Andre had been sent to this meeting, and that he stood pre-
cisely on the same footing. The evidence is strong that he was one of
the agents who had been employed to seduce Arnold. He was dressed
on this occasion in the flamboyant uniform that accorded with his rank
in the British army. He had been the schoolmate of Washington, the
owner of a fine estate on the Hudson, and aside from his politics was
an officer and gentleman of ability and substance. There is gi-ound for
believing that it was on Colonel Robinson that Sir Henry Clinton
depended to arrange with Arnold the military details for the investment
of West Point. Major Andre was young and therefore inexperienced
in many matters; Colonel Robinson was a grey-haired veteran of many
campaigns. Ho had fought at Fort Montgomeiy and knew every strat-
egical path and position in the Highlands. Had the conspiracy suc-
ceeded, Robinson would probably have been the successor of Arnold as
commandant at the fortress. At the last moment he played safety and
refused to cross the line of danger.

The understanding on his part evidently was that Arnold would
come out to the Vulture. In the middle of the night of the 21st, when
he sat waiting, Joshua H. Smith came aboard and handed liim a letter

THE WAGES OF TREASON. 145

from Ariiolil. The two were old acquaintances. The letter was writ-
ten for Smith's protection rather than for Robinson's information:
"This will be delivered to jou by Mr. Smith," it said, "who will conduct
you to a place of safety. Neither Mr. Smith nor any other person shall
be made acquainted with your proposals. If they are of such a nature
that I can officially take notice of them, I shall do it with pleasure."
The cunning writer here introduced a word for his own benefit: "I
take it for granted that Colonel Robinson will not propose anything that
is not for the welfare of the United States as well as himself."

The Colonel shied. He introduced Smith to Captain Sutherland,
who lay in his bunk, ordered some refreshments and then went into
another room. He was gone twenty minutes and Smith spent the time
in conversation with the Captain. Robinson was discussing the situa-
tion with Andre. It may be imagined that they were annoyed by the
twist Arnold had given to the affair. The cautious elder decided that
he should not venture; Andre determined to go in his place. Sir Henry
Clinton's last counsel had been, not to enter the American lines, not to
remove his uniform, not to accept any writings. Andre expected to
return in Smith's boat. It was strangely thoughtless that a ship's cutter
was not ordered to take him, seeing that he was resolved on a personal
interview. Smith asked for the help of two sailors, but it was not
granted, notwithstandiug that the Vulture had been sent to favor the
interview.

When Robinson returned to the cabin he brought Andre, fiilly ready
for the boat ride, and introduced him to Smith as "Mr. Anderson," a
name that the young adjiitant-gencral as the amanuensis of his chief,
had signed to his epistles to Arnold. Robinson pleaded indisposition,
and announced that Anderson would go in his place. Entering \vith
Smith into the small boat that waited, with two of the law^^er's tenants
as oarsmen, Andre was rowed ashore. Arnold was waiting in a chimp
of firs near the ^vater's edge at the foot of Long Clove. The historic
spot is full two miles below Haverstraw village, then containing but a
few scattered dwellings. It is down near where the mountains rise
precipitously from the water. Far from the habitation of man, secluded
and dismal, it was a fitting receptacle for the base secrets of a dark night.

On landing, Smith sought out Arnold, who, on being told that Rob-
iuson had not come, though sending a delegate, exhibited agitation and

146 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

expressed chagrin and disappointment. Smith himself did not consider
Andre qualified for bixsiness of such moment. Upon Arnold consenting
to receive the young man, Smith conducted "Anderson" to his "Gus-
tavus." The scene has been well designated as "the crisis of the Eev-
olution."

Joshua H. Smith had expected to participate in the "international
negotiations," but was mortified by a request from Arnold to remain
■with the watermen on the strand. Arnold was more merciful than dis-
courteous. Many questions that occur to the reader of the story can
never be answered. One relates to the refusal of the oarsmen to take
Andre back to the ship, after they had waited some hours with the inten-
tion of discharging that duty. Did anything that Smith said while
smarting under the rebuff influence them to that determination? Cer-
tain it is that he refused to return with Major Andre to the Vulture,
and the boatmen on being appealed to by Arnold, declared that they did
not have strength enough left to accomplish it, because of the distance
and the tide being against them. Again, it was urged as a reason for
not returning to the sliip that daylight was near and daylight meant dis-
covery. The force of the seoond reason lay in the fact that Arnold had
said when engaging the watermen that the business was of a nature not
to be generally known. If Smith had not countenanced the measure,
assuring them that it was for the good of the countiy, the Colquhouns
would not have come, for they had not readily perceived why an hon-
orable flag of truce needed concealment. In later years Smith put this
question to the world to answer: "If the purpose of the inteniew had
been accomplished, why should not General Arnold have given me a
flag to carry this gentleman on board the Vulture?"

Dismissing intricate points that were long under discussion here
and abroad, the story follows Arnold and Andre in their ride of more
than four miles to Treason Hill. Arnold had come on horseback,
accompanied by one of Smith's servants on another horse. The Eng-
lish adjutant-general rode on the horse the servant had brought. Smith
returned up the river in the boat, landing at Crom's Island. The two
oflicers had not proceeded far on the highway when they were chal-
lenged. "Who goes there?" If Andre had forgotten his commander's

THE WAGES OP TREASON. 147

warning, he must have recalled it with startling clearness as he passed
throiigh the American lines with one whom he knew to be a traitor to his
country.

Andre wore his regular uniform, but its bright colors were hidden
under a long blue coat. He had been assured of perfect safety at
Smith's house and a safe conduct back to the Yiilture tlie following
night. They followed the road through the village, plotting the ruin
of the republican cause. The plan they were perfecting comprehended
an assault in large force by the British and a weak resistance by the gar-
rison. The strength of West Point was represented by five forts and
nine redoubts and a number of batteries, mounting a total of one hun-
dred guns, wth three thousand available troops. Both sides of the
river were fortified, and navigation obstructed by a chain. Arnold
agreed to send the principal troops to distant points under the pretence
of defending approaches. The forts would then be ■without men enough
to hold them.

The conspirators arrived at the house long before Smith. Mrs.
Smith had gone with the children to Fishkill and nobody was home but
the servants. As the boat bearing the owner was entering the creeks,
the boom of a heavy gun came across the water. Colonel Livingston of
Verplanck's Point, irritated by the boldness of the Vulture, had deter-
mined to drive her away.

With horses he had drawn a field piece from the fort, to the head of
Croton Point and opened fire. The cannonade continued while day-
light was breaking, and Andre with dismay saw the ship pass down the
liver. Captain Sutherland, however, did not desert him. After a few
hours he brought the Vulture back to near her former anchorage.

When the master of the house returned he conducted the officers to
the southeast room on the second floor, and sensed them with breakfast.
Then, being ill and tired, he went to bed, leaving "Anderson" and
Arnold alone for the greater part of the day. Smith atfii-mcd afterward
that he did not know who "Anderson" was. He took him for an agent
of Colonel Robinson and otherwise a person of no particular importance,
and of whoso history he knew nothing, except that, as Arnold had
remarked sarcastically, he had picked up a gaudy uniform somewhere.
The "Treason House" needs no description here. It is in the American
catalogiie of famous places near the top. It was a house that com-

148 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

iiiaiitlcd respect in the Revolution foi' its interior clianu, as well as its
dignified niein and distingnislicd position. Many notable persons had
sat at its hospitable board. The reputation of Joshua H. Smith has
been clouded ever since his connection ^vith Benedict Arnold, but he
was a person of no mean parts, who before his association A^dth the
traitor had rendered valuable service to his country. He was one of the
thirteen riflemen who repulsed the landing party from the British fleet
in July, '76, and on different occasions loaned local republican agents
large sums of money with which to obtain supplies for troops. General
Knox and General Howe testified in his favor at the trial.

Toward evening Arnold went to Smith's I'oom and proposed that he
should convey '\Mr. Anderson" back to the Yulture, but Smith, plead-
ing illness — "a fit of the ague" — said he was unable to gratify him. The
General then suggested that Smith should accompany their guest' part
of the way to Xew York by land when the ague had passed over, and to
this Smith made no objection, saying it would be in his way to visit his
family at Eishkill and bring them home. It is apparent that he had
a reason best known to liimself for not escorting Andre back to his ship.

Returning again to Smith's room, Arnold requested the loan of a
coat and hat for "Anderson's" use, saying that it would not be safe for
him to travel in a British uniform. The other part of the dress woiild not
require change. Fitted with a hat and coat belonging to his host, Andre
went a little way with the departing General.

"What cares CongTCss for your services, your wounds and j'our
losses?" he asked. "Your enemies in Congress do not thank you. I
have even been told that in your fight with Burgoyne, when you so crip-
pled hini as to compel him to surrender, you fought as a volunteer and
without a command, and that while you were leading the troops. Gates
was in his tent, not even going on the field at all; yet he received T>\\r-
goyne's sword and all the honors of the victory, while you were tried by
court-martial and disgraced."

"Yes," replied Arnold; "all this and more is true; and this in part has
driven me to my present conduct. Independence must be postponed.
Half a centiiry hence it will come without war."

"Yes, General Arnold," said Andre, "we will restore peace and
reconciliation, and for you there shall be honor, appreciation and an
English peerage, in place of ingratitude and a public reprhuand."

THE WAGES OF TREASON. 149

"Peace and reconciliation ^^ill be better than blood and suffering.
But I hate to deceive Washington. They have driven me to it,"' added
the traitor. "We must not fail. Hasten back, Andre, bring up your
troop.e and West Point is yours."*

Andre was disconsolate when Arnold left. He was in danger. He
had violated the three commands of his chief: He had entered the
American lines, he had put off his uniform and had accepted wTltlngs
from Arnold. Smith tried to amuse him by showing him the prospect
from the southeast room. Upon some remark being made about the
Vulture, the young Englishman cast at her an anxious look and, sighing,
said: "I wish I was on board.'' "You will be at Xew York before she
will," remarked Smith consolingly. "But I think the General might
have ordered a flag of truce from Stony Point for you."

Andre winced at this and became reserved. He expressed his desire
to leave as soon as possible. Several persons came to the house and he
kept out of sight. Andre had left passports for both men, either to the
Vulture or to White Plains. Smith would not go out to the frigate
again, Andre dared not venture alone. In the twilight they set out on
horseback, conversing as they approached Stony Point about the niun-
ber of times the post had changed hands. On the way they fell in with
some military oiEcers, and had a drink with them at the feny, the .spy
allthe while being in an agony of mind. Darkness closed around them
as they passed over the river.

*****

It is six days later, the morning of the 28th of September. Two
barges well manned are approaching King's Feny. Waiting at the land-
ing is a detachment of dragoons. In the leading boat is Major Andre, a
prisoner, and closely guarded ; in the other is Joshua Hett Smith, also a
prisoner. They are being taken to Tappan for trial by court-martial, one
as a spy, the other as a traitor to his coimtry. They had played a daring
game and lost in the last turn. Alter having been escorted by SmitJi
through the American lines, Andre was galloping with a light heart over
the neutral groimd, expecting presently to be safe within the British
lines, when he was stopped, at Tarrytown, by a band of American irreg-
ulars. Had he at once shown his passport from General Arnold, he
would have been allowed to proceed. But, deceived by a red coat which

I. X. Arnold's "Life of Benedict Arnold."

ISO HISTORY OF ROCKIyAND COUNTY.

one of the men was wearing, no doubt for purposes of deception, he re-
vealed his identity as a British officer, and was thereupon searched and
exposed as a spy. In his hoots were found the papers that Arnold had
prevailed on him to carry to Sir Henry Clinton. The documents were,
(1) an estimate of the forces at West Point and its dependencies, (2) a
description of the works at the main post, (3) a detailed report of the ord-
nance equipment, and (4) the orders for the disposition of the troops in
case of alann. Andre would probably have been released had not these
papers been found on him, and Sir Henry Clinton could easily have dis-
pensed with the infonnation they contained. Joshua Hett Smith had
been arrested in bed at Fishkill, and conducted the next day into the
presence of Washington at Beverly House. Two evenings previously
they had supped together. Now accused of treason, he was remanded
to West Point for temporary confinement, and thither Andre was also
taien. Fort Putnam was the prison of the Englishman, a hut sufficed
for the other. Arnold had escaped to the Vulture, leaving his wife in a
swoon at Beverly House, and was now safe in 'New York. The country
was aflame with indignation.

The dragoons closed around the prisoners as they stepped ashore, and
the march at once began. Andre rode in front. Smith at the rear of
the cavalcade. Permission was granted for the latter to stop at his res-
idence, and he was gxeatly distressed at the havoc that had been wrought
there. Not only had his private papers been abstracted, but securities
valued at $30,000 had been stolen. The Government afterwards reim-
bursed him — at least in part. The journey was resumed, and ten miles
farther on all disnioiinted at John Coe's tavern for dinner. At dusk
they arrived at Tappan, the headquarters of General Greene, who was
in command of the left wing of the main Continental army. The escort
halted in front of the church, and a crowd of citizens and soldiers hurled
execrations at the prisoners. To the populace their former Congress-
man was well known, and for him the ordeal must have been a painful
one. Andre was taken to a room in Mabie's tavern for confinement.
Smith to the old church. Judge Heron, who resided in the village, fur-
nished his unfortunate professional friend with a blanket to lie on.
Before the door of the sanctuary guards were posted, and inside two
senti-ies kept watch. The room in which Andre was confined was eigh-
teen feet six and one-half inches in length, eleven feet seven and one-

THEiWAGES OF TREASON. ISl

half inches in width, seven feet five inches high. It was lighted by
one window, wliich commanded a western view. Two otRcers were
detailed to stay in the room \\'ith him, and sentries surrounded the house.

A^'^asllington followed the prisoners to Tappan, arriving the same
day, and selecting the residence of John DeWint for his headquarters.
This building has survi\'ed until the present, but has been altered by a
front of modern construction. Two courts of inquiry were constituted,
one for the trial of Andre, the other to consider the case of Smith. Ten
charges were drawn up against the former Congressman, whose acquain-
tance \\'ith the methods of legal procedui-e now proved to be of the great-
est service to him. Perceiving that the charges were framed so that the
proof of one would necessarily involve by inference the others, he
requested that all be consolidated into one general accusation. The
request was granted, and when he appeared before the court for trial, he
was required to answer to but one charge, that he had aided and
assisted Benedict Arnold, in combination with the enemy, for the piir-
pose of taking, seizing and killing the garrison at West Point and its
dependencies.

The defendant fii"st objected to trial by a military tribunal, he being
a private citizen. He claimed the right of trial by jiiry, in a civil court,
as guaranteed by the Constitution. The objection was over-ruled and
the taking of testimony begun. Among the witnesses examined was
the Marquis de la Fayette, who, though he had been a great deal at
Smith's house, as many other general officers had been, now exhibited
some animosity toward the defendant. Also, General Knox, Colonel
Alexander Hamilton, Colonel Hamson, Colonel Hay and Colonel Liv-
ingston; Paulding, Van Wert and Williams, the militiamen who cap-
tured Andre; and the Colquhoun brothers, who rowed the defendant
out to the Vulture. The defendant himself interrogated the witnesses
with skilful thoroughness. With the aid of the two boatmen he seemed
to establish that he had gone out to the vessel under a flag of truce from
General Arnold, and, as he himself affirmed, innocently. He said he
understood from Arnold that "Anderson" was a young merchant who
from folly or pride had borrowed a military coat; that he could not
understand why Arnold had not returned Andre to the Vulture under
a military escort. It was developed that the original interview was to
have been held at Dobbs Ferry (west side), and the Vulture had been

1S2 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

stationed there for tliat purfiose before coming np to Haverstraw Bay;
that Arnold had himself tried to get out to the ship secretly, and on
two occasions was fired npon by the Vulture.

The trial of Smith was not concluded at Tappan. The day after
Andre's execution, the army broke camp and marched to Pyramus, and
then to Totowta Bridge, near the falls of Passaic. Here the trial was
resumed, and Colonel Lamb, Jonathan Lawrence, General Howe, Cap-
tain Hutchins, Captain Gardner, Commodore Bowen and others were
examined as mtnesses. The proceedings were in the open air, a great
concourse of soldiers and civilians attending. The trial was protracted
for four weeks. On the 10th of Xovember the prisoner was put on a
horse and conducted back to Haverstraw, where he was permitted to
spend the night with liis family at his brother's house. The next morn-
ing he was taken in a boat from King's Ferry to West Point. The
court martial had acquitted him and he was being held to await the
action of the grand jui-y on a charge preferred by the county commis-
sioners of conspiracies.

On November 18 the prisoner was led from AVest Point, under a
guard of fifty horsemen, to Smith's Clove, which was named after his
family, from the fact that they had possessed the greater part of the
land it contained. He was permitted to spend the night at the family
homestead, where one of his brothers then lived, and the next morning
was led to Goshen and put in the jail. The first grand jury wovild not
indict, saying that once was enough to put a man on trial for his life.
Being fearful of what the next one might do, and considering that he
had suffered enough. Smith took ad\'antage of an opportunity to walk
out of the Sheriff's office one day in May of the following year (1781).
He hid first in a graveyard near by, then in the dwelling of a friend in
the village, and finally reached New York. He retired to England with
the British troops in 1783, leaving his wife in New York, whore she
died a few weeks after he sailed. Llis calamities were numeroiis and
hard to bear. The death of liis wife "prostrated all the barriers philos-
ophy had raised," he wrote, and melancholy enveloped his mind. He
was slowly recovering from this depression when, unexpectedly, he was
visited by Arnold. The interview was brief and not a pleasant one
for the former commander at "West Point. Eighteen yeai's passed and
the exile determined to gratify a longing to live again in his old home on

THE WAGES OP TREASON. 153

the banks of tlie Hudson. It was in 1801 that lie came back to Haver-
straw and opened a school in his mansion on the hilL But men and
affairs had changed; they were not as he had hoped; the okl home was
not the same. After a time he retraced his steps to England, and there,
in 1808, he published his book, entitled "An Authentic Narrative of the
Causes Which Led to the Death of Major Andre." It is a rare vol-
ume. One lays it down after reading with conflicting emotions. Some
years after the publication, Mr. Smith returned to New York city, and
there he died, October 10, 1818, at the age of 59.

The case of Andre was different, as was his fate. His trial began
on the 29th of September, before a board of officers composed of Major-
Generals Greene, Sterling, St. Clair, Lafayette, Howe and Steuben, and
Brigadier-Generals Parsons, James Clinton, Knox, Glover, Paterson,
Hand, Huntington and Stark, assisted by Judge Advocate Laurence.
Andre made a triitliful statement of the facts relating to himself, and
his honorable bearing made a deep impression.

"When you landed did you consider yourself acting as a British
officer, or as a private individual?" he was asked. "As a Bi'itish officer,"
was the reply.

In reply to the question if he considered himself under the protec-
tion of a ilag, he said it was impossible for him to so consider, and that
if he had been, he certainly might have I'etunied under it.

General Steuben remarked aftenvards that it was not possible to
save him. "He put us to no proof, but in an oi^en, manly manner con-
fessed ever^'thing but a premeditated design to deceive." The pris-
oner's own servant was allowed to visit him, and after the trial Andre
put on the full uniform of a British officer.

Meanwhile Sir Henry Clinton was making every effort to save his
young friend. In liis first letter to Washington he contendetl that
Andre was not a spy, biit had come ashore at the invitation and under
the protection of the American officer in command of the district. Gen-
eral Arnold, wlio had sent a flag of truce to receive him. He inclosed a
letter from Arnold affirming that Andre was under a flag of truce.
Washington replied sajang that "Major Andre was employed in the
execiition of measui-es veiy foreign to the objects of flags of truce, and
such as they were never meant to authorize or countenance in the most
distant degree; and this gentleman confessed in the course of his exam-

154 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

illation that it was impossible for liini to suppose that he came on shore
under the sanction of a flag.'' The board of officers at this time had
rendered their verdict, "that Andre ought to be considered as a spy, and
agreeably to the laws and usages of nations, it was their opinion he ought
to suffer death." Washington approved of the finding and ordered the
execution to take place the next day. But later he granted a respite to
receive a deputation from Sir Henry Clinton, consisting of General Kob-
ertson and Chief Justice Smith, brother of Joshua Hett Smith. Gen-
eral Greene was sent to Dobbs Ferry to meet Lieut.-General Robertson,
but Justice Smith was not recognized in the matter. Nothing was pro-
duced at tliis inteiwiew — which occurred on the first of October — to
change the opinion of General Washington, and a message was con-
vej^ed to the Greyhound, on board of which General Robertson waited,
notifjang him that the American dctennination had not been altered.
The British representative, not ceasing his efforts, wrote personally to
the American Commander-in-Chief, and in defending Major Andre, he
said: "He took no st«p while ashore but at the direction of General
Arnold. . . . Under these circumstances I could not, and hoped
you would not consider ilajor Andre a spy. . . . The change of
clothes and name was ordered by General Arnold, under whose direction
Andre necessarily was wliile within his command."

Only one thing would have satisfied the Americans and saved Andre.
It is well understood that the English captive would have been
exchanged for Arnold. It was a secret guarded by the Americans but
revealed by the British, that General Greene intimated this to General
Robertson, at their personal interview. Greene did not speak thus
without authority. The matter was presented in season to Sir Henry
Clinton, who therefore had it in his power to decide whether Andre or
Arnold shoiild hang on the gallows at Tappan. There is strong
evidence for saying that Andre knew that his fate was in Sir Henry's
hands, but he honorably refrained from appealing to him to make the
exchange. Instead, he wrote a touching farewell to his general, "with
the object," as he said, of removing "any suspicion that I could imagine
I was bound by your excellency's orders to expose myself to what has
happened. Tlie events of coming within an enemy's post and changing
my dress, which led me to my present situation, were contrary to my
own intention, as they were to your orders; and the circuitous route I

THE WAGES OF TREASON. 155

took was imposed (pcrlinps unavoidably) without alternative upon me.
I am perfectly tranquil and prepared for my fate, to which an honest
zeal in my King's service may have devoted me. In addressing myself
to your excellency on this occasion, the force of all my obligations to
you, and the attachment and gTatitude I bear you, recurs to me. With
all the warmth of my heart I give you thanks for your excellency's pro-
fuse kindness to me, and I send joii the most earnest wishes for your wel-
fare which a faithful, affectionate and respectful attendant can frame."
But the word that would have saved the young man came not. "If
Andre were my ovm brother I could not consent to it," was Sir Henry
Clinton's remark.

So Washington signed the death warrant. By all the laws of war he
was justified. Eomilly, the great English jurist and law reformer, in
later years wi-ote: "The arginnents used by Clinton and Ai'nold, in
their letters to Washington, to prove that Andre could not be considered
a spy are: First, that he had with him when he was taken a pro-
tection of Arnold's, who was at that time acting under a commission
of the Congress, and therefore competent to give protection. Certainly
he was to all strangers to his negotiations with Clinton, but not to
Andre, who knew him to be at that time a traitor to the Congress; nay,
more, whose protection was granted for no other purpose than to pro-
mote'and give effect to his treachery. In the second place, they say
that when he was taken he was on neiitral ground ; but they do not deny

that he had been within the American lines Certainly,

no man in his situation could have acted with more detennined courage,
but his situation was by no means such as to admit of these exaggerated
praises."

To the prisoner's plea for a soldier's death, Washington made no
answer, perhaps not wishing to destroy his last hope. On the morning
of the execution the village was filled with people. The blinds of Wash-
ington's headqiiarters were closed. Andre rose early and during the
morning conversed pleasantly with his guard, but not referring to his
approaching end, except when he saw the officers looking sad; then he
Avould take up a glass and say, "Come, let us take a glass of wine. It
only makes me feel the worse to see your feelings hurt." When his
hoiu' came, he laid aside his dressing go\\ni, put on his uniform and
packed his tnmks. A column of soldiers drew up in front of the build-

1S6 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ing, and he was brought out. Northward a little way, and then directly
west, the procession marched for half a mile. The general officers, his
judges, with their aides, were drawn up beside the road, and as the brave
fellow passed them he raised his cocked hat in deferential salutation.
He walked firmly on, keeping step to the drum beat, till he came in sight
of a high gallows. Here he stopped witli an exclamation of horror. He
had asked the officers at his side as they had come along if they knew
what was to be the manner of his death, and they had answered that
they did not. He now said, 'T have borne everj-thing with fortitude,
but tliis is too degrading. . . . Must I die in this manner? As
respects myself, it is a matter of no conseqiience, but I have a mother
and sisters who will be mortified." He walked on. "How hard is m;^
fate." . . . "It will soon be over," he added, as he came to the
place of death. Two forked trees, with the third laid across, formed the
gallows. Beneath it was a two-horse baggage wagon bearing a coffin.
Eye witness made these records:

"Andre waited a moment, betraying some emotion, putting one foot
on a small stone and rolling it over, and choking up as if attempting to
swallow. He bowed his head for a moment before attempting to get
into the wagon by the tailboard. His first attempt failing, he snid a
few words to his servant, who was standing by, overcome wath grief, and
putting one hand on the wagon body, made a determined spring and
succeeded. Standing on his coffin, he calmly looked around on the sol-
diers and a multitude of people, men, women and children. Colonel
Scammel, as adjutant, read the order for execution, and General Glover
said quietly, 'Major Andre, if you have anything to say, you can speak,
for you have but a short time to live.' Standing with hands on hips,
the prisoner bowed to him and in an unfaltering voice said, T have noth-
ing more to say, gentlemen, than this, I pray you bear witness that I
meet my fate like an honest man.'

Andre waved the black-face hangman aside, and took off
his hat himself, and handed it, together vnth his watch, to his servant.
His neckcloth he put in liis pocket when he had taken it off. He also
put the noose around his neck; his handkerchief he bound around his
eyes, and stood waiting for death as the hangman mounted on a ladder,
fastened the rope to the cross tree. "Bind his hands!" ordered General
Glover. Andre pushed the handkerchief back from his eyes, drew a

THE WAGES OF TREASON. 157

piece of blue ribbon from his pocket, and handed it to the disguised
executioner, and replaced the blindfold.

The graceful figure standing there, bound and helpless, on the brink
of eternity, was a sight that touched all hearts. Colonel Scanimel
dropped the point of his sword as a signal, the horses were led forward,
and the form of Major Andre swung off the coflfin at the end of the rope.
The stillness of death reigned as his spirit took flight. For nearly half
an hour the body swung too and fro, then was cut do^vn, and the uniform
removed. As the earth fell upon the coiRn in the gTave under the gal-
lows, the Greyhound, which had been waiting in the river for the young
officer, raised her anchor and sailed away.

On August 10, 1821, the bones were disinterred and carried aboard
an English man-of-war for transport to London, where in Westminster
Abbey they now repose. One hundred years after the execution a
monument was erected at Tappan, to mark the spot where died, one who,
as Washington said, was more unfortunate than criminal.

Refereripe.s: "Life of Benedict Arnold," by I. N. Arnold. Abbatit's "Crisis
of the Revolution." "An AuitJIientic Narrative of t)he Causes Which Led to the
Death of Major Andre," by Joshua H. Smilth.

158 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER XII.

SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION.
The Ijast CampaigTi — The Fren<?h Army — MeTiibers of the HaversitraTv Regi-
menrt of Militdla — The Oomtinien'tiaJls — Members of Oaipt. Robert Johtniston's Com-
liany — Of Captein ^Vmios Hutchins' Company — Officers of the Orangeton\Ti Reg-

imenlt.

THE year 1781 mtnessed the last campaign of importance in the
war. Washington had spent the winter and spring at Xew
Windsor, his army in the Highlands and in a line of cantonments
extending from the Ramapo vallej^ to Morristown, N^. J. The French
had wintered at Newport. The time had come for striking a fatal blow.
The allies would either lay siege to New York city or strike Cornwallis
at Yorktown, Va. Their first decision was to try New York. On .1 nne
18th the French started from Rhode Island toward Westchester county,
N. Y. Washington left his headquarters at New Windsor on the 26th,
and with the American divisions crossed the Hudson. The junction
with the French army was effected, the left of the French line being
at White Plains, the American right on the Tappan Zee, at Dobbs
Ferry. The American troops then numbered only four thousand five
hundred; they had no uniforms and were poorly equipped, in this
respect presenting a great contrast to the French army. For nearly
two months the allies remained practically inactive in Westchester
county, threatening Sir Henry Clinton's army on the south side of the
Harlem. They were waiting for the French fleet without the aid of
which they did not wish to attack. When it was knowm that De Grasse
had entered the Chesapeake, Washington and Rocharabeau suddenly
changed their plans, resolving on a quick march to Virginia. The
troops began to march on the 19th of August, at four in the morning.
Part of the American anny crossed to Sneden's landing; the rest fol-
lowed the shore road to King's Ferry, and crossed there. The French
took a circuitous route to Vei-planck's Point, by way of Phillipsburgh,
North Castle, Leguid's Tavern, Pensbridge, Crampond and Peekskill,
where they an-ived on the 22nd. Rochambeau, un-nalling to pass so
near West Point without seeing it, devoted the 23d to visiting that
famotis fortress in the company of Washington and several oflicers. The
same day the French wagons and the legion of Lanzun crossed the river,

i(W]

O ^

s s

i @

1 =3

SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION. 159

at King's Ferry, and halted at Haverstraw, near the residence of Joshua
Hett Smith. Bourbounaes' brigade passed over on the 24th, and the
rest on the 25th. Washington left a corps of 3,000 militiamen, under
Heath, to defend the Highlands. The allied forces marched in three
grand divisions, each one day's march apart, the second division spend-
ing one night at the quartei-s occupied by the first division the previous
night. The American force, 3,000 men, constituted the first division.
The first bivouac after leaving Haverstraw was at Sufferns, the next at
Pompton.

Comwallis suiTondered on the 19th of October. Orange county's
Continental troops participated in this campaign, under General James
Clinton. The French spent the winter in camps at Yorktown and
Hampton, Va. Washington sent the Virginia militia south, and also
dispatched the Maryland and Pennsylvania troops under Lafayette to
reinforce Greene's army. He himself came back towards the Hudson
with the remainder of the American Continentals. This was practically
the end of the war. The French army re-crossed the river at King's
Ferry September 14 of the following year, and was welcomed on the
west shore by the main Continental anny. The French defiled between
the American lines, which were now well equipped ; their arms had come
from France, and their clothing principally from the storehouses at
Yorktown. While the French remained here, they were encamped in
front of Crampond, with an advance guard on the Croton. The Amer-
icans were at the ferry, with their advance guard at the mouth of the
Croton. The position was of great strategical importance; it defended
the Highlands and at the same time threatened New York. When cer-
tain that there was to be no more fighting, the French left their encamp-
ments on the 12th of October, and from Boston in December they
embarked for home. The main Continental army spent the mnter at
Newburgh.

During the course of the war tlio Continental Congress made three
calls on the people of this State for troops for the Continental line, the
first in 1775, the second early in 1770, the third in the summer of 1776.
The returns on record, as is generally known, are incomplete, both of
Continental and militia organizations. All returns made subsequent
to the year 1781 were destroyed by fire at Washington in 1800. The
two militia regiments raised in tlie section of county south of the moun-
tains were Colonel A. Hawks Hay's, with headquarters at Haverstraw,

160

HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

and Colonel Abraham Lent's, with hoadquartcrs at Tappau. From
these two fundamental organizations were mainly dra\vn not only the
Minute Men, but also the companies for the Continental line. Only the
names of the officers of Colonel Lent's regiment have survived. In
1777 the remnants of this regiment were consolidated ^\^th the Haver-
straw regiment. Southern Orange furnished in whole or part at least
three companies for the Continental line :

(1.) Captain Robert Johnston's company, mustered Aiigiist 4th,
1775; served under Colonel James Clinton in the campaign into Can-
ada. (Names given below.)

(2.) Captain Amos Hutchins' company, organized in February,
1776, and attached to Eitzema's First Regiment in April, 1776.

(3.) Captain Amos Hutchins' second company, organized in Novem-
ber, 1776, for Colonel Diibois's Fifth Regiment. Sensed ^vith distinc-
tion at the battle of Forts Montgomery and Clinton. (Names given
below.)

ORANGE COUNTY MILITIA.-Second Regiment.

Colonel Ann Hawkes Hay Adjutant William Kyder

Quartermas'ter Joseph John-

I/ieut.-CoI. Isaac Sherwood.
I/iewt.-Ool. Gilbert Ooope.r.
Major John Smdtih
Major John L. Sniith
Adjutant James D. Clark

Ciaii>t. G-arreit Ackerson
Capt. Johannes Bell
Capt. Aurie Blaiivelt,
Capt. Johannes Blauvelt
Capt. Joseph Crane,
Capt. John Gardner
Capt. John Hogenkamp
Capt. John M. Hogenfeamp
Capt. WilUam Kiers
Capt. Jacob Onderdonck
Capt. Reynard Quackenbos
Capt. WilUam Sickles
Capt. Anry Smith
Capt. Henry Tenure
Capit. Andrew Thompson
Lieut. Bichawl Acker
Lient. Cornelius Blauvelt
Lieut. Thomas Blauvelt
Lieut. Walter Cure
Lieut. .Niatthias Conklin
Lieut. Henry Bsler
Lieut. .Jacob Finke
Lieut. Williiam Garham

Quart ermasit-er Garret Onder-
donck
Snrg-eion John Ferrand

Lieut. William Graham
Lieut. Daniel Onderdonck
Lieut. Andris Onderdunck
Lieult. Roger Osbom
Lieut. Jacob Polhemus
Ldeut. James Rumsey
Lieut. Jacob Sickles
Lieut. John Sitcher
ldeut. Theunis Taulmian
Lieut. Driek Van der Bilt
Lieuit. Paul Van der Voort
ldeut. Resolvent T. Van Hou-
ton

Lieut,. Walter Van Order
Lieut. Jdhn Waldron
Ensign Richard Ackerson
Ensign .John Coe
Ensign Willd'am Conklin
Ensign John Myers
Ensign Garret Onderd>onck
Ensign Roger Osborn
Ensign Albert Smith
Ensign Teunis Talman, Jr.

SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLTION.

161

ENLISTED MEN.

Acoarsen, Thomas
Acker, Derrick
Ackarman, John
Ackerlson, Jacob
Allison, John
Allison, Jlatthew
All'ison, Thomas
Archer, Jacob
Baiboock, Jrtb E.
Baker, Thomas
Barwick, Robert
Beekmian, John
Bell. Wellem, Sr.,
Berray, Is'aac
Bird, Samuel
Blauvelt, John H.
Blauvelt, Corneliuis
Blauvelt, Daniel
BlauTelt, Garret J.
Blauvelt, Hendreck
BlauveW,, Isaac H.
Blauvelt, .Jacobus J.
Blau\-«W:, Johannes G.
Blauvelt, John G.
Blauvelt, Joseph J.
Blawvelt, Richard
Blauvelt, Nuric
Bogert, Gysbert
Boilson, John
Boilson, Anthony
Brewer, Isaac
Briggis, Jasper
Briggs, Miatithius
BrouwcT, Samuel
Brower, Uldrick
Bulson, Cornelius
Burgess, Archer
Butler, Isaac
Oame, Edward D.
Oammel, Stephen
Oampbel), Robert
Oankelen. William
Carloughs, Nicholas
Clark, James A.
Ooe, Ben.jamin
Coe, Daniie'l S.
Coe, John D.
Coe, Matthew
Coe, Samuel
Cohonn, Joseph
Cole, Abraham
Coleman, .John
Conklin, Ezekiel

Aecorsen, John

Acker, Jacops

.\ckerson, Abraham

Allison, Is.sia<;

Allison, Joseph

Allison, Peter

Allison, William

Arden, Jacob

Babcock, James

Babcock, Thos.

Barmore, Henry

Darmore, Henry

Bell, Hendrick
Bell, William
Bill, William
Bltinvoit, Hermones
Blauvelt, Abi^aham D.
Blaiivelt, Cornelius I.
Blauvelt, Gairret
Blauvelt, Garrret G.
Blauvelt, Hendrick A.
Blauvelt, .Tacob
Blauvelt, Johannes
Blauvelt, .Johannes J.
Blauvelt, .John J.
Blauveilt, Peter
Blawvelt, ThunSs
Bogart, Johames
Bogert, Ja<"ob
Bcilson, John
Bolson, Cornelius
Bridggs. John
Briggs, John
Broiadwell, Henry
Brower, Abraham
Bruce, Robert
Burchell. .Jeremiah
Burgis, John
Butler, Israel
Cammel, Albert
Campbell, Adam
Campbell, Stephen
Canniff, .James
Clark, Danliel A.
Clark, Joseph D.
Ooe, Daniel
Coe, Hal stead
Coe, John S.
Coe, Matthew. Jr.,
Coe, William
Coin, Edward D.
Cole, .\ndries
CoUord, Abraham

Acker, David
Ackerman, Eda
Ackerson, I>a\id
Allison, Jeremiah
Allison, .Joseph B.
Allison, Samuel
Ammerman, Aurt
Armstrong, Robert
Bahcock, Job
Baekman, John
B&rns, Jacob V.
Bate, .James
Bell, Wellem
Bensen, .Johannes
Birchel, Jeremiah
Blasvuldt, Herramanus
Blauveilt, Adam
Blauvelt, Daniel A.
Blauvelt, Garret Isaac
Blauvelt, Harmanes
BlaaiveU, Isaac G.
Blauvelt, Jacobus
Blauvelt, .Johannes D.
Blauvelt, .John
Blauvelt, Joseph
Blauvelt, Peter
Blmwelt, Frederick
Bogert, David __

Bogort, John
Boilson, .John
Brewer, Aury
Briggis, Henry
Briggs, Tjawrence
Brooks, John
Brower, Lsaae
Brush, Robert
Burges, Michael
Burns, David
Butler, Joseph
Cammel, Lulfe
Campbell, Luck
Campbell, Wiam
Cargile, Henry
Clark, Jacobes D.
Clark, Michael D.
Coe, Daniel, Jr.,
Coe, Isaac
Coe, Jonas
Coe, Matthew D.
Cohoun, David
Cokalect, Daniel
Cale, feaac
Collorot, Abraham

162

HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Concklin, Jolm
Concklin, Stephen
Conckling', Gabriel
Conckling, John
Conckling, Lersls
Conckling', Nicholas
Conckling, Thomas
Conklin, Isaac
Conklin, .Toseph J.
Conklin, Stephen
Cooper, Cornelius
Cooper, Gilbert
Cooper, Joseph
Cornelison, John
Corwine, Gilbeird
Crane, Joihn
Crouter, John
Crnm, Richord
Crnmb, William
Cuper, llenrr
Davison, M.
DeClark, Jacobus
Degnaw, I/uke
Demarest, Jiacobus
Demarest, James
Depue, John
Deronde, Henry
Deronde, Jacob
Dimerest, Peter
Dutchetr, Isaac
Djxketis, Thomas
Edvvords, James
Emmenis, James
Felter, John
Fowler, Lewis
Frederich, Abram
Furman, Benjamin
Ganyon, Abraham
Garrison, Abraham, .Jr.,
Gerow, Benjamin
Goetschins, Abraham
Gornee, Benjamin
Gornee, Stephen, Sr.,
Graass, .Teoto
Gross, .Tacob
Gurnee, Elias
Gurnee, John J.
Glitches, Joseph
Hadley, Isaac
Halsted, Jacob
Hannah, William
Harring, Abram
Heckle e, Robert
Hendricivson, Jacobus
Herring, Isaac

Concklin, David
Concklin, Nicholas N.
Conckling, Abraham
Conckling, Isiaac
Conckling, John L.
Conckling, Matthies
Conckling, Nictiolias W.
Conklin, Aaron
Conklin, John
Conklin, Lewis
Cooper, Abnajm
Cooper, Eda
Cooper, Hendrick
Cooper, Tunes
Oorneliison, Michael
Couter, jThn
Cregier, Thomas
Crow, Joshua
Crumb, John
Cuckleatt. Danfiel
Cure, Walter
Deal, Jacob
Degraw, Cornelius
Degraw, William
DenraTest, Johannes
DePeAV, Peter
Deronde, Abrnharn
Denonde, Henry C.
Deronde, Tobias
Doty, Adam, Jr.,
Dutcher, Peter
Dyckmian, Abnaham
Ekerson, Derick
Emmit, Tunis
Ferguson, John
Fredenburgh, Peter
Prederirfi, Henry
Furman, Raef
Gardner, Jam«s
Garrison, Joseph
&oetchius, Abriahani
Gornee, Elias
Gornee, John
Gornee, Stephen, Jr.,
Graham, John
Gross, Peter
Gurnee, IsaSah
Gurnee, Stephen, Jr.,
Hadley, Fredick
Hadley, Stephen
Halsted, John
Bansua, Jacob
Bause, William
Heirs, Phelix
Hendrickson, John

Concklin, Henry
Concklin, Nicholas W.
Conckling, Aron
Conckling, Joseph II.
Conckling, Michael
Conckling, Stephen
Conklin, Gabriel
Conklin, Joseph
Conklin, Michael
Cooper, Albert
Cooper, Garret
Cooper, John
Cooper, Wohert
Cornwell, William
Cot, John
Crom, William
Crowler, John
Crumb, Peter
Culson, rVlerander
Curren, Gilbert
Debaim, David
Degraw, John
Demaresit, David
Demaireist, Pdtrus
Depue, Cornelius
Deronde, Hendrick
Deronde, Henry I.
Dekins, Thomas
Dunbar, Amos
Dyckens, Richard
Eckers'on, Dirk
Eitea-gee, Mrchael
Evermore, John
Fowler, Gilbert
Fredenburgh, Abram
Frederich, Robert
Furshie, John
Garrison, Abra;ham
Garrison, Peter
Goetschius, John
Gornee, IsaJaii
Gornee, Stephen
Goutc.hen, Joseph
Green, Patrick
Gurnee, Frtancis
Gurnee, John
Outches, Abm.
Hadley, George
Halsited. Henry
Halsted, Tirndthy
Hansy, Abram
Bayston. Joseph
Hendrickson, Hendrick
Herman, .Joseph
Hogenkam, Gysbert

SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLTION.

163

Hoag-liin<l, Willfam

Holland, Tlicrailas

Haog'lamd, John

Hort'on, .Tames

House, Ricba-rd

Hoiiser, Henry

Huffman, Harmanes

Hunt, .Jaseph

Hutohdns, Amos

Immons, James

Jeffers, Edward

John, Peter

Johnson, John, Jr.,

Jouse<n, Benjamin
^Jones, Jacob
^Tones, Joseph

Juruill, Fran sis

Kelly, Daniel

Kerhoon, Samuel

Kiesler, A.

King:, Walter

Kn'ap, James

Knap, Jonas,

Knapp, Abel

Kuypert, Themiis

Ivamb, ifartin

Lawrence, David

Lefay, Thomas

Lewis, James

Ivowry, Tobias

Miabe, John

Mabie, Abraham

Mabie, Peiter

McOarter, Peter

M)a(rtdne, .Tohn

Maybie, Jesper

Mefoy, .Tames

Meyer, .Tacob

Morgan, David

Mott, Jacob

Mountain, Andrew

Meyer, Garreit

Meyers, Johti

Oblenis, Peter

Odle, Nathaniel

Onderdonok, Adri'ance

Onderdonck. Aron

Onderdonck, Gairrit

Onderdon<-k. .Tohn

Osborn, William

Parker, .Tacob

Parse!. William

Paul, James

Perril, JohaiiniJs

Persell, Jaoo'b

Hill'aman, Nichlolas
Holdron, Andrdes
Holstead, Edword
Hoppen, Renard
House, Cornelius
House, IJenard, Sr.,
Howard, Richard
Hunt, Gilbert
HunJt, Reuben
Hutson, John
Iseman, John
Jersey, Peter
Johnson, Gisbert
Johnson, Thomas
Jones, Edward
Jones, John
Jones, William
Ivahoon, Samuel
KeJly, Dennis
ICieslar, Philip
King, Arie
Kislor, HermaTius
Knap, Jared
Knap, Lebbeuis
Knapp, Silas
Damb, Alexander
Lamb, Pomp
Laiwrence, George
Lent, Jacob
Linkleten, James
L.^Tioh, Jiames
Mabee, .Teremiah
Mabde, Oasparus
Mabie, Peter Charles
Magee, John
Marvin, Elihu
Mead, .To el
Megee, John
Mier, Cornelius
Morris, David
Moitt, Mordica
Meyer, Abraham
Meyer, Jeams
Nosfrrand, Thomas
O'Brien, .Tohn
Onderdonck, Abraham
Onderdonck, Albert
Onderdonck, Isaac
Onderdonck, Thomas
Osborn, Benjaimin
Palmer, .TonaJthan
Parker, John
Parsell, .Tohanines
Paulding, Cornelius
Perry, Jacoibus

Ho'llaral, John
Hoisted, Edmond
Hopper, Paul
House, John
House, Renard, Jr.,
IhifE, Gershom
Hunt, Gilliad
Hunt, Samuel
Hutton, John
.Tennyks, Hendrick
Jinkings, Arie
.Tohnson, John
.Tohnston, John
.Tones, Isaac
Jones, .Tonas
.Tons on. Shepherd
Kelly, Carpenter
Kelly, Thomas
Kiesler, A.
King, Jacob
Knap, Benjamin
T\nap, Jeremiah
Knap, Samuel
Kruffen. .Tacob
Krum, Peter
Lamb, Jacou
Lane, Henry
Leaj-craft, William
Lent, John
Linklettor, James
Lyons, Samuel
Mabee, .Tohn Peter
Mabie, Cornelius
Mabde, Yoast
Mian, George
Maitthews, Samuel
Meeks, .Toseph
Mekes, Joseph
Montanye, John
Motit, Charles
Motit, Salvembs
Meyer, Daniel
Meyers, Andrew
Oblenis, Henry
Ockerman, David
Onderdonck, Adrawon
Onderdonck. Andrds
Onderdionck. .Tames
Onderdonck, Henry
Osborn. .Tohn
Parker, Isaac
Parker, PeJt«r
Parselil, .Tohn
Paulding, Garret
Perry, Urin

164

HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

PhillipB, Eli
Polaisketr, Anlfhony
Polheraus, Jolon
Post, Is'aac
Poulhairms, Hanclniek
Quockenbos, Reynard
Quaekinbush, James
Ramsen, Garret
Reader, Josiah
Remsen, John
Rider, Conrad
Roberteon, Jesse
Root, William
RoseTelt, Joseph
Ryker, Hendrick
Salsar, Micol
Sauven, GanrSs
Seaman, Po^vlis
SeCaur, Benjamin
Secanr, Samiiel
Secor, Daniel
Seoor, Jacob
Secor, Jonas
Servant, Adrian
Se r V r o n, A'briah a m
Shay, Paitrick
Shourt, Lewi
Sickels, John
Smit, AlbPam
Smith, Adam
Smith, David
Smith, GHarret
Smith, John
Smith, Pdteir
Smith, Samuel
Snyder, Abraham
Snyder, Peter
Springisteen, David
'SiJringsiteen, John
Stag-g, .John
Stephenson, Stephen
Stephens, Stephen
Stevens. Albert
Steward, James
Stirant, J'acob
Talenilan, Gerrdt
Tall man, Ha.rmanas
Tallman, William
Tarneur, Woodhnl
Ta\'lo'r, Abner
Taylor, .Tonathan
Taylor, Willi'am
Tenure. .Tohn
Tenyck, Joihn
Thew, John ,

PeiHsell, Paul
Phillips, Gilbert
Polhamus, Abraham
Po^st, Abraiham
Post, Isaiac Abraham
Pouhamus, Theodorus
Quackenbos, Ryn^ar
Remsen, Abram
Ramson, George
Remsen, Auirt
Rej-nolds, Abraham
Rider, Josiah
Robino, Joseph
Rose, Jacoib
Runnekls, Benjamin
Ryker, James
Slalyer, Edward
Seamian, Caleb
Seanions, John
Secaur, Jacob
Secor, Andrew
Secor, Is'oiac
Secor, James
Sector, Samuel
Ser^•lant, Henry
Sharp, .Taimes
Sherwood, David
Shonrt, Hendrdck
Simmons, Paul
Smith, Abert
Smith, Cornelius
Smith, Edward
Smith, Islaac
Smith, John C.
Smith, Reynard
Smith, Stephen
Snyder, Hendrick
Spiiieg, Gideon
Sp'rin'gsteen, Isaiac
Springisteen, Samiuel
Stiaig-fir, Paul
Stephens, Peter
Stephens, Stephen A.
Stei%-«ns, Resiolvenit
Storm, Abraham
String-hiam, William
Tallman, Abraham
Tallman, John
Talnran, Theunis H.
Tamnr, .TameS
Taylor, Jeiams
Taylor, Joshuia
Teneur, Johannes
Tenure, Odl€
Thew, Garret

PhillipB, Daniel
Pierston, James
Polhemus, Aurt
Post, Daniel
Post, .Xohn
Quockemboos, Riner
Quackenboss, Abram
Ramsen, Aurt
Read, Peter
Remsen, Johannes
Re_^Tn'olds, Benjamin
liiker, Henry
Rodg:ers, Justu-s
Rose, John
Ryker, Abraham
Ryker, Matthew
Salyer, William
Seaman, Joseph
Seamons, Paul
Secaur, .Tames
Secor, Benjamin
Secor, Isaac I.
Secor, James E.
Servant, Abraham
Servant, Phdllip
Shaw, Patrick
Sh'onrt, Adolph
Shurt, Henry
Smetih, Garret
Smith, Aljraham
Smith, Cornelius C.
Smiith, Frederick
Smith, James
SmitQi, Niathaniel
Smith, Reyniere
Snedeker. Tunis
Snyder, HeTmanes
Spring'steel, Isaac
Springsteen, Johannes
Springsteen, Stauglubs
Stamford, David
Stephens, Rulif
Stephens, William
Stevens, Stephanes
Stott, William
Talema, Theunis
Tallman. Dowey
Tallnilan, Peter
Talman, Thomas
Taulman. Harmh
Taylor, John
Taylor, Moses
Tenieyke, Hendrick
Tenyck, Jacob
Thew, Gilbert

SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION.

16S

Thompson, William
lUeboiiit, Heniry
Tiinlvee, Cooonro
Tirneir, Michael
Tonyke, .Jacob, Jr.,
Tourneud, Jlam.es
Trumper, Theunis
Tuit.ler, Daniel
Valentine. Peter
Van Bnskirk, George
Van Cleft. Garret
VianrTJeEeTtTTJerick
VanderbeW, .John
Van Dervoiort, .John St.,
Van Der Voort, Pavd
Van Dyke, John
Van Houten, Abraham
Van Hooiten, Ivlaas
Van Houten, Thunis
Vanorden, Andrais
Van Order, Andreis
Van Sickle, Daniel
Venalo, Oorme.lius
Verv^aJen, James
Vouck, Peter
Waldroni, .Jacob
Waldrom, John
Walker, .John
Waita maker, Peter
Wcffg'in, To'biais
Westervelt, Abr'aham
\Vester\-elt, Pe'ter
Williams, Gilbert
W'illiiamson, Nicholas
Willson, Andrew
Wilson, Uriah
Woo<l, Heairy
Wood, Samuel
Young', Frederick
Zo den pah, John

Thiell, .Jacob
Tice, .John
Tilt, Williajn
Tinkee, .John
Tinmer, Hanry
Tormeur, .James
Tournneur, .Tames
Tunre, Woodhull
Underdonck, Koiilof
Van Antwei-^), Dti.niel
Van Cleck, Jacobus
Vandarbeek, David
Vanderbelt, Dow'ah
Vander \'oort, Barent
Van Dervoort, John
Vander voort, Pe'ter
\'lan Hoout'an, Deiiick
Van Htoutien, Charles
Van Houten, Pester
■^'an Orden, Hendrick
Vanorden, Jacobus
Van Order, Peter
Vardassen, Johannis
Venhooisen, John
Vervalin, James
Voonhis, Stephen
Waldnrn, .Jamets
Waldron, Edwiard
Wallace, .John
Wandle, Jacob
Welch, Richard
Westervelt, Oasparus
Whitit'en, .Joseph
Williams. .Tosiah
\\'Iillon, Andrew
Willson, .Tameis
Woldrom, Jacob
Wood, .Jaicoib
Wool-sey, .Jacob
Znniker, I/odourik

Thompson,

Tdebomt, George
Tinkeer, Coonrod
Tinkey, Jacob
Tonure, Lowramee
Toun, John
Tremper, JViimes
Turnere. Lawrence
Vaber, John
Van Antwerp, John
Van Cler, Garret
^1an Derbelt, Cornelius
Vanderbelt, .James
Van Dervo'ort, Garret
Van Dervoort, .Jonas
Van Dolson, .Jacobis
Van Houghen, .John
Van Houten, .John
^'an Houten. Samuel
\Tan Ordee. Hendrick
Van Orden, .John
Van Order, Hendrick
Vellte, William
Vervalen, Cornelius
VerVeelen, .JIacobus
Wagoner, Tobias
Wlaldrom, .Janis
Waldron, John
Wanam'aker, Adolph
Warrin, Theodores
Weiss.els, Richard
Westervelt, Daniel
Wickham, Warren
Williamson, .Jeremiali
W^illBey, .James
Wilson, Albert
Woiod, Ebenezer
Wood, .Joseph
Youmans, Samuel

CONTINENTALS-1775.

A MUSTER ROLL OF THE MEN RAISED AND P.\iSSED MUSTER IN THE
COUNTY' OF ORAJ^GE FOR CAPTAIN JOHNSTON'S COMPANY, 4TH
AUGUST, 1775. RAISED AT ORANGETOWN. ROBERT JOHNSTON, CAP-
TAIN. LIEUTENANTS, JOHN MAURITIUS, GOETSCHIUS, PHILIP

DUBOIS BEVIER.

Martin, William
McQueen, Philip
Oarnuchael, Peter
Clark, John
Stephens, Rntt.es
Ilouser, Andreu-

Ackers on, .John
Lefiler, .John
Osborn, .John
Monnell, Jsaae
Cable. Andrew
lUauvclt, Abraham

Miller, ZephaniaJi
Eabcock, David
Bradley, Cornelius
Ferg-uBon, Thomas
Ackerman, Ediie
Ward, Daniel

166

HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Jackas, Thomas
Banks, Steplien
VanKeimpen, Abram
Cooper, .T'Oihii
Garritsor, Samuel
Coe, Joiin D. Sr.
Cooper, Jialm C.
Cooper, Abram
Mott, Mordica
Cone, EdwTard
Fowler, Jaibez
Fiiayer, Eioto'ert
ConeMe, Joliii.
Teriieur. James
Haillste'ad, Jacob
Town, Timothy
Bnrg-es, Peter
Stuert, John

Yeioraans, William
Ackerson, Thomias
IJogiard, John
Conklin, Samuel
Piarker, DanSel
Cole, Garret
Odle, Tompkins
Mott, Jacob
McVey, John
Biirg'es, James
Van Zail, Eg-bert
Wood, Josei>h
Secaur, Isaac
Haycock, Jolhn
ifilchier, Pawleis
Condum, Darid
Kdsler, Harmanus
Jeffei'. John

Ackerson, Benjamin
Kelly, Thomas
Seco-ur, James
Ellison, John
Conlklin, Stephen
Belan, Pet^r
Morg-an, David
Ellison, Peter
HufEmam, David
Warren, Edward
Smith, Cornelius Jr.,
Eilison, John
Trump, oimon
Xicks, Cornelius
Spring^teel, John
Dawson, Eichard
Ellison, Thomas
Alver, Thomas

CONTINENTALS--1776.

MUSTEK ROLL OF THE SECOND COMPANY OF THE FIFTH REGIMENT,
NEW YORK CONTINENTAL LINE. AMOS HUTCHINS, OF HAVERSTRAW,
CAPTAIN. LEWIS DUBOIS, COLONEL.

Hutc-hinis, Amos, Captain^ Nov. 21. ,70; reisigned May 9, '78.

Jackson, Paltten First Ldent., Nov. 21, '76; missing Oct. G, '77; exchiang'ed
Feb., '81.

Furman, John, Little Esopus, Second Lieut., Nov. 21, '76; captured at Port
Montgomery; exchanged, '81; mustered to Jiin., '82.

Stocker, Selt.h, Orderly Sergeant, Newburgih, Feb. 12. '77, to Jan., '82.

Pride, James, Serg-eant, Marlboroug-h, Aug. 12, '76; three years.

Gain, Feb. 1, '77; missing Oct. 0, "77; jodmed.

Eobdnson, Jameis, Sergeant, Aug. 6, '77; three years.

ConckMn^ Samuel, Corporal, Baverstraw, Feib. 18, '77; taken at Fort Mont-
gfomery; died in prison.

Allison, John, Corporal, to Jan., '81.

Factor, John Drummer, to Jan., '82. ,

Allen, Jasper, fife, Feb. 8, '77; died April 14, '80.

Oliark, Dec. 19, '76; died Mar. 15, '77.

Clark, Dec. 19, '76; died Mar. 15, '77.

Rhodes, Joseph, Dec. 25, '76, to Jan., '82.

Robinson, Benjamin, Dec. 25, '76, to Aug-., '77.

Rose, John, CMrkstown; enlisted early in '77 for nine m-onrtihs; re-enlisted
in Col. Graham's for nine montJis; re-enlisted in Col. Bayley's Honse for one
year, th&n in Captain La-wrence's and Col. J. Harper's; taken prisoner at
Lake Onondaga Oct. 18, '80; exchang-ed. May, '83.

Cooper, John, Baverstraw, Jan. 1, '77; transferred to Capit. Graihl.am's Sec-
ond N. Y.; died of wounds at Albany, Feb. 9, '78.

Lang-don, Samuel, Jan. 1, '77, to Nov., '79.

Lattimer, Benjamin, Jan. 1, '77; missing Oct. 6, '77; joined, served to
Nov., '79.

Lattimer, Rog-er, Jian. 1, '77, to Jan., '80.

Travis, Scot, Jan. 10, '77; missing Oct. 0, '77; joined to Jan., 82.

Brush, Eliakinis, Jan. 8, "77; missing-, Oct. 6, '77.

Richards, Philip, June 14, '77, to April 10, '83.

SOL,DIERS OF THE REVOLUTION. 167

Titus, James, Jan. 16, '77, to Nov., '79.

Rhodes, Cormelius, Feb. 1, '77; missing Oct. 6, '77
Sears, Francis, Haverstraw, Feb., '77; taken prisoner at Fort Montgom-
ery; in to Jan., '82.

Bunker, William, Feb., '77; missing Oct. 6, '77.

.Vokertion, Cornelius. Feb. 11, '77; three years. Corporal; missing Oct. 0,
rejoined, mustered Sergeaot, Nov., '79; Lieuteniant, to Jfen., '80.

Allison, John, Corporal, Feb. 12, '77, to Jan., '82.

Bunker, Lam-ence, Feb. 13, '77, to Nov., '79.

Garrison, Samuel, Sr., Haverstraw, Feb. 12, '77; taken prisoner at Fort
Montgomery; died in New York prison.

Cooper, Abram, Feb. 28, '77, to April 19, '78.

Marks, George, Havenstriaiw, Mar. 1, '77; diisohairged at Havensitraw Mlay 1,
'80.

Outhouse, Israel, April 1, '77; missing Oat. 6, '77.

Crum, Hermanius, HaverstPaw, April 8, '77; taken prisoner at Fort Mont-
gomery; died in prison.

Orum, Jacob, April 14, '77; died Dec., '77.

Cooper, Eiichiard, May 14, '77; iserved three years.

Conklin, Thomas, May 20, '77; taken prisoner at Fort Montgomery; died an
prison.

Veomans, Benjamin, May 20, '77 to June, '78.

Hopper, Peter, June 10, '77. to .Tan. '82.

Falron, John, June, '77; missing Oct. 6, '77.

Secor, ,Tohn, Corporal, June 26, '77, to Dec. 3, '80.

.Tones, Joseph, July 6, '77. to Jan., '82.

Btibcock, Abm., July 9, '77, to April 1, '78.

Eabcock, Elisha, July 12, '77; missing, Oct., '77.

Ten Eyck, Joseph, substitute for Peter Bogardus, Aug. 25, '77; missing
Oct. 6, '77; rejoined to Jan., '82.

Adams, Ephraim, miissing Oct. 6, '77.

Drake, Francis, missing Oct. 6, '77.

Murphy, Edwlard, Nov., '77 to

Cli"i'-,e, Caleb, Nov. 25, '77, to Fe'b. 7, '78.

Yeomans, Isaac, Nov. 5, '77, to Feb. 7, '78.

McDerinott, Francis, May 18, '79; nine months.

Ellteion, John, CorpoPal, Feb. 12, '77, to Jan., '82.

MILITIA— LO^VEK (ORANGETOWN) REGIMENT.
Colonel, Abraham Lent, resigned March 26, '76
Lieut.-Colonel, Joh's David BlauveUt, resigned Feib. 27, '77.
Firsit Major, Jo'h's .T. Blauvelt.
.S'econd Major, Abram David Blauvel't.
Adjutant, Jacobus De Clark.
Quiartermaster, Isaac Perry.

SOUTHERN COMPANY.
Oaptain Joh's Jacob Blauvelt.
First Lieut., .Tames Lent.
Second Lieut., James Smith.
Enisign Hendrick Van den Linde Verbryck.

EASTERN COMPANY.
OaprtJain Joseph Bell.
First In'eait., .Tohn Sitcher.
Second Lieut., WilBam Graham.
Ensign Daniel Ondeird'onck.

168 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

NORTHERN COMPANY.
Captaini IsaJac Smith.
First Lieut., John Isaac Blauvelt.
Second Lieut., WilHajn Sickleis.
Ensign Lambert Smith.

John Haring wats Brigade Major to General Georg'e Clinton 1770-7.
P. Taulman wias Captain dn Moylan's PonrtJh Lig'Iut Drag'oonis; formerly
Lieut., Sappers and Miners.

Oonimiittee of Conspiracdes — Gilbert Cooper, Thomas Moffat, HenTy WisneT.
References: New York State Archives.

CHAPTEK XIII.

CLOSE OF THE WAR.
Readjustment of Count}' Lines — Increase of Popudation — Militia C'oni])aii-
ies Before the Civil War — Regiments Orgajiiized During 'the Civil War^Tians-
]««rtJiition — County Oihcere.

THE precincts of Orangetown, Ilavcrstraw, Goshen and Cornwall
constituted the political divisions of the county of Orange until
March, 1788, when by a general law, entitled "An Act for divid-
ing the counties of this State into to^\^ls," the title of precinct was
cliauged to that of town in these four cases. At the same time the
towns of Warwick and Minisink were set apart from Goshen. In 17!)1
the towns of Clarkstown and Ramapo were erected, from territory that
was embraced in the precinct of Ilaverstraw. With the close of the
Avar of the Revolution, a period of rapid growth and material prosperity
began for the county. The establishing of a republican form of gov-
ernment, based on equality of rights and religious and civil liberty,
attracted thousands of people, mainly from the British Isles. The rich
fanning lands along the ITud.son river valley, and especially in Orange
county, were in large demand. By 1700 the population of the cotmty
had increased to 18,492. The precinct of Haverstraw was the most pop-
idous, having 4,S2f> inhabitants; Cornwall was next with 4,225; War-
wick, 3,G03; Goshen, 2,448; Minisink, 2,215; Orangeto\\Ti, 1,175. The
circumstances which led to a readjustment of county lines are too well
knoMai and apparent to he related here except in brief fomi. The pro-
ceeding was not extraordinary or tmusual, such rearrangements of boun-
daries form part of the history of most counties, and the only regret in
this case is that the original name was not retained by the section
entitled to hold it, with all its precious historical associations. For this

MAiP
ieVILLA€E

TAPPAN NY

REFERENCES- _l

o* t

ffeft'^erf Crturcrt

P»i-iO'^tft

Was'-xgle,', Hnaqiia'tTx

■re StonaMo^se.

WritSfeTOISrAr.o-

S-fr otAxait's L lefufon

1 5'ie ofAso'ti a^Ave |

An'irf's roulf w.is froto ). X.irlli. lo Uic nm.l In OH Tappan, tbeBC« VJttt. to ihe firit rmtt

CLOSE OF THE WAR. 169

reason the stranger and the youthful reader of general history does not
at first realize all the honor wluch belongs to Rockland county.

The inconveniences connected with a high range of mountains
extending across the county were appreciated from the first, especially
by the settlers on the north side, and as the population increased meas-
ures of accommodation were framed. Thus it was that Orange county
came to have two places for holding courts. Although there was some
little sectional feeling, Orange county might have continiied as it stood
with two half-shire towns, had it not been for exterior influences. The
people of Southern Ulster were dissatisfied. They were required to
transact their biisiness at Kmg-ston, and it was jiist as inconvenient for
the people of Xew Windsor, NewbTirgh and Montgomery (together with
the southern sections of Marlborough, Shawangiink and Wallkill), to
transact their court business in Kingston, as for the people of Cornwall
and Miiiisink to come to Oraugetown. A court house at N^ewburgh
would accommodate the people of both northern Orange and southern
Ulster, and the village of Newburgh was greatly desirous of being n
county seat. These various circiunstances and conditions combined to
sunder old ties. A union of the towns of northern Orange ^vitll the
southern tier of to^\^^s of Ulster was long the subject of agitation. A
convention of delegates from the towns interested in that phase of the
movement was held at Ward's Bridge (now Montgomery village) on the
6th of April, 1793. Nothing was definitely settled by the meeting.
Goshen was not averse to becoming the sole capital of a new county,
but was disinclined to divide the honor with Newburgh. Biit upon no
other condition woidd Xewburgh consent to a union. In Fel)i-uary,
1794-, a second convention met at the house of John Decker at Otterkill.
Sectional interests were at war again. Goshen's ambition to be the sole
capital of a county was frustrated by the declaration of the Newburgh
delegates, under instructions, that they would consent to no imion at all
that would not bestow county-seat privileges upon their village. This
terminated negotiations for the time being. Three years later, in 1797,
a third convention, similarly constituted, assembled at Kerr's hotel, in
Little Britain, when conflicting interests were harmonized and it was
agreed that courts should be held at Newburgh and Goshen alternately,
and then the proposition for the new county was ratifled.

Two bills were presented to the Legislature in the winter of 1797-8.
One was entitled, "An Act for Dividing the County of Orange," the

170 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

other, "An Act for Altering the Counties of Orange and Ulster." The
first bill was passed on the 23rd of February, and provided: "That all
that tract of land in the county of Orange, lying northwest of a line
beginning at Poplopen's kill, on Hudson's river, and nnming thence to
the southeastemiost comer of the fann of Stephen Sloat, and thence
along the south bounds of his farm to the southwest corner thereof, and
thence on the same course to the bounds of the State of New Jereey,
shall be and hereby is erected into a separate county, and shall be called
and known by the name of Orange." The new county thus set off should
in jiistice have received a new name, leaving the ancient and historical
name to the part better entitled to it, but the sentiment of the times and
the influence of other sections concerned served to fix upon the terri-
tory south of the mountain the new name of "Rockland." The people
of this county were generally satisfied with the division.

Tlie second bill was passed on the 5th of April, and provided "that
the towns of New Windsor, Newburgh, Wallkill, Montgomerv' and
Deei-park, now in the county of Ulster, shall be and hereby are annexed
to the county of Orange."

Peace and prosperity have ever attended the county of Rockland.
Her population and wealth have steadily increased. Starting with four
townships only one more has been added: Stony Point was set off from
Haverstraw in 1865. Though the soil of the county has never since
the Revohition been ravaged by war, though armies have never con-
tended in fierce combat for the possessions of her fortresses, the sons of
Rockland performed the full measure of their duty in the second war
with England, and in the Mexican, the Civil and Spanish wars. On
Septeml>er 3, 1814, a company of militia under Captain Jacob I. Blau-
velt sailed from Tappan Landing, and another under Captain John
Snedeker sailed from Haverstraw for New York, and were on duty there
until November 29, when they returned home. Rockland county also
contributed her qiiota of men to an artillery battalion raised in tliis Sen-
atorial district, then composed of Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Ulster
counties. The battalion was on duty for a few months in 1814, at New
York and vicinity. During the Mexican war a cavalry company, called
the "Rockland County Rangers," was organized, but was not called into
the national service. This company continued in existence for many
years, and was on duty for two days and a night during the ITaverstraw
riot of 1853.

CL,OSE OF THE WAR. 171

Before the Civil War tlie militia companies in the county fonned
part of the Seventeenth Regiment of the New York State militia. To
this regiment belonged the Wayne Guards of Haverstraw, Company C
of Piermont, Company D of Stony Point, Company F (Ingold Guai-ds)
of Havei-straw, Company I of Ramapo township, and the "Rockland
County Rangers," of ISTyack and Clarkstown. The last review of the
regiment was at Verplanck's Point on October 21, 1862.

In 1863, under a State law for the raising of a militia regiment in
every Assembly district, seven companies were organized in this county,
the whole being known as the Fifty-Seventh Regiment, John S. Har-
ing, Colonel; John S. Stephens, Lieut.-Colonel. The regiment was dis-
banded a few years after the war. Company B (16th Battalion) was the
last militia company in the history of the county. It was disbanded De-
cember 17, 1881. Its headquarters was at Nyack. It was on duty for a
week at Haverstraw, in May, 1877, preserving the peace after some riot-
ing, and was quartered at the United States Hotel. In the summer of
the same year the company was on duty at the annoiy from July 24tli to
August 2, on accoimt of railroad strikes and disorders.

In the Civil War Nyack sent a company to the front on May 9, 1861.
This was Company G of the Seventeenth Regiment, a regiment mainly
recruited in Westchester county, and called the Westchester Chasseurs.
James H. Demarest was the first captain. Haverstraw sent away the
De:N"oyelles Guards (Captain Edward Pye), October 16, 1861, to be-
come Company F of the jSTinety-Fifth Regiment, and on November 21
of the same year, she gave another noble band, the Stephens Guards
(Captain A. F. Ingold), which became Company B of the Ninety-Fifth
N. Y. Volunteers. On December 5 Captain Dominick Kennedy
left Haverstraw with twenty-seven recruits for the Ninety-Fifth
Regiment, and at later periods men left Haverstraw to join the
Fifth New York, the Irish Bi-igade, and the Ninety-fifth N. Y. and
other ragiments. Nyaok contributex:] forty-three men to companies
A and B of the 127th Regiment. The Sixth N. Y. Artillery, mustered
at Yonkers, September 2, 1862, received nearly a hundred members
from Rockland county, and the Sixty-fifth New York took ten of her
boys. In 1863 the Seventeenth Regiment, N. Y. S. M., was ordered
to the froTit to defend Washington, and was on garrison duty at Fort
Independence and Fort, McIIenry for a fortnight or less. Recruits for

172 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

volunteer regiments came from all the towns in the county to join the
companies raised in Ilaverstraw and Xyack heretofore refen-ed to and
also other companies. During the war the women of the county also
did their duty, and their societies, especially at Nyack, Haverstraw and
Piennont, sent many boxes of supplies to the men on the firing lines.
Branches of the Loyal League were organized at Haverstraw and Nyack.
Kockland county's quota under the first draft was 204; of the conscripts
six only served in person. Under the second draft the county's quota
was 221 — Ilaverstraw 91, Orangctown 56, Clarkstown 38, Kamapo 37.
Third draft — Haverstraw 194, Ramapo 112. Fourth draft — Haver-
straw 136, Orangetown 107, Ivamapo 81, Clarkstown 82. Each of the
towns met in full all the calls upon it, excei^t Haverstraw. In all, llock-
land actually furnished 558 men for the war, divided among the towns
as follows: Haverstraw 198, Ramapo 163, Orangetown 123, Clarks-
town 64. Of these, 89 gave up their lives.

Rockland county has contributed to as well as shared in tiie material
progress of the times. Apart from agriculture and commerce, quan-y-
ing and mining were early industries in the county. The quarrying
industry centered at Nyack, and by 1820 had reached large proportions.
There were over thirty quarries in the vicinity of Nyack. Tlic next
considerable branch of industry was represented by the iron works in
the Ramapo valley; these contributed to the prosperity of the whole
county in a large degree. Brick-making began at Haverstraw in 1815,
that place has been the national leader in the business for nearly seventy-
five yeare; inventions which have revolutionized the methods of man-
ufacture originated there. The constniction of the fine turnpike from
Xyack to Suffem, begun in 1830, was a very important public improve-
ment, of great advantage to the Ramapo valley as well as to Nyack, but
not favored by Haverstraw, which through it lost considerable back
country trade. Steamboating had just begim at this period, and the
combined effect of the two entei"prises made the port of Nyack a very
busy one. The steamboat Orange, Captain John M. White, Jr., made
its first trip between Nyack and New York on the 5th of IMay, 1828. In
1830 the Orangetown Point Steamboat Company organized and com-
menced the construction of the st-eamboat Rockland, which began run-
ning tlie folloA\ang year between Orangetown Point and New York.
Haverstraw, not to be oiitdone, organized a steamboat company also and

CLOSE OF THE WAR. 173

l)uilt the Warren, which, starting from Haverstraw on alternate morn-
ings, at 11 o'clock, landed at Snedeker's, Slaughter's, Nyack, Sncden's
Closter and Huyler's. The Aitow began running from Ilavci-straw
in competition with the Warren, in 1838.

The steamboat was not long come when another gi-eat aid to trans-
portation appeared — ^the railroad. Tappan landing, in this county, was
selected for the eastern terminus of the Erie, and there a great pier a
mile in length was built into the river to deep water. The name of the
place was then changed to Piermont. The construction of the road was
begun in 1838, and by 1841 the line was in operation between Goshen
and Piermont, and from the great pier passengers were transfen-cd to
steamboats. Piermont was an exceedingly prosperous callage until the
Erie was extended to Jersey City, in 1852. Thereafter the section of
road between Suffern and Piennont ceased to be the main line and
became a branch. The Northern road, opened to Piemiont in 1859,
the Nyack and Nortliem in 1870, the ~Ke\v Jersey and Xew York to
Haverstraw in 1875, and the West Shore in 1883, added to and com-
pleted the railroad facilities of the county.

The first officers of the coimty of Rockland were: Supervisors —
James Perry of Orangetown, Benjamin Coe of Haverstraw, Claus R.
Van Houten, of Clarkstown, James Onderdonk of Ramapo. County
Clerk, David Pye; County Judge, John Suffern; SuiTogatc, Peter Taul-
man; Sheriff, Jacob Wood; Member of Assembly, Benjamin Coe.

By the census of 1800, two 3'ears after the erection of the county,
the population was as follows: Hempstead (Raniapo),l,981; Clarks-
town, 1,806; Orangetown, 1,337; total, 6,353.

In 1890 the county had a population of 35,162. In 1900 the cen-
sus gave 38,298, divided as follows:

1900. 1890.

Clarkstown, including Upper N^yack village 6,305 5,216

Upper ISTyack village 516 668

Haverstraw town, including Havei-straw and West

Haverstraw villages 9,874 9,079

Haverstraw village 5,935 5,070

West Haverstraw village 2,079 180

Orangetown, including Nyack, Piermont and

South Nyack villages 10,456 10,343

174 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Nyack village 4,275 4,111

Picrmont village 1,153 1,219

South Nyack village 1,601 1,496

liamapo town, including Hillburn and Suffem vil-
lages 7,502 5,910

Hillburn \'illage 824

Suffem village 1,619

Stony Point town 4,161 4,614

COUNTY OFFICERS— 1902.

Arthur S. Tompkins, CongTessman Nyack

George Dickey, Member of Assembly Nyack

Andrew X. Fallon, County Judge and Surrogate Piermont

Fred S. Weiant, Sheriff Haverstraw

Cyrus M. Criun, County Clerk New City

William J. Randolph, County Treasurer Nyack

Thomas H. Lee, District Attorney Stony Point

Charles E. Sloat, Coroner Haverstraw

Hammond Hicks, Coroner, Spring Valley

Sylvester Demarest, Coroner Suffem

James H. MoiTissey, Superintendent of the Poor Haverstraw

Charles H. Zundel, Loan Commissioner Haverstraw

Jonathan W. Sherwood, School Commissioner Spring Valley

Joseph DeNoyelles, Clerk of Supervisors New City

Richard S. Harvey, Clerk of Surrogate's Court Nyack

SUPERVISORS FOR 1902.

Alfred V. H. Clark, Clarkstown Nanuet

Josiah Felter, Haverstraw Haverstraw

Edwin Lydecker, Orangetown Nyack

Frank S. Harris, Ramapo Suffern

Alex. Rose, Stony Point Stony Point

Clerk of Supervisors, Joseph DeNoyelles New City

SENATORS FOR THIS DISTRICT.
1848-48, Saxton Smith; 1850-51, Benjamin Brandreth; 1852-53,
Abra.m B. Conger; 1854-55, "Wm. II. Robertson; 1856-57,John "W. Fer-
dou; lS58-59,Benjamin Brandreth; 1860-63,H. D. Robertson; 1864-67,

CLOSE OF THE WAR. 175

Henry E. Low; 1868-71, Wiii. Cakhvell; 1872-81, Wiu. H. Robertson;
1882,-87, Henry C. Nelson; 1888-91, Wm. H. Eobcrtson; 1892-93,
Charles P. McClelland; 1894-97, Clarence Lexow; 1898-1903, Louis
(Joodsell.

MEMBERS OF ASSEMBLY.

1798-9, Benjamin Coe; 1800, Samnel G. VerBryck; 1800-1, Sam-
uel Q. VerBryck; 1802-3, Peter DeNoyelles; 1804, Samuel G. Ver-
Bryck; 1804-5, Jolm Cole; 1806, John Haring; 1807-9, Samuel G. Ver-
Bryck; 1810-15, Peter S. VanOrden; 1816, Cornelius A. Blauvclt;
1816-17, Cornelius A. Blauvelt; 1818-19, Abram Gurnee; 1820, Sam-
uel G. Verbryck; 1820-21, Abram Girniee; 1822, Cornelius Blauvelt;
1823, John I. Suffem; 1824, Peter S. VanOrden; 1825, Abram Gur-
uee; 1826, Abram Gurnee, Edward Suffem (Gurnee's seat was con-
tested by Suffem, who was admitted January 27); 1827, Levi Shcr-
>vood; 1828, Levi Sherwood; 1829-30, George S. Allison; 1831, Jolm
I. Eckcrson; 1832, Isaac Blaiivelt; 1833, James D. L. Montanya; 1834,
Daniel Johnson; 1835, Edward Suffem; 1836, Danid Johnson; 1837,
Abram J. Demarest; 1838, David Clark; 1839, Benjamin Blackledge;
1840, Wm. F. Frazer; 1841-2, Edward DeNoyelles; 1843, Cornelius
M. Demarest; 1844, John Haring Jr.; 1845, Joseph P. Brower; 1846,
Sampson Marks; 1847, John A. Haring; 1848, Lawrence J. Sneden;
1849, Matthew D. Bogart; 1850, Brewster J. Allison; 1851, Jacob
Sickles; 1852, John Demarest; 1853, Nicholas C. Blauvelt; 1854, John
I. Suffern; 1855, John W. Ferdon; 1856, Edward Whitemore; 1857,
James Westervelt ; 1858-9, "Wesley J. Weiant; 1860, Peter S. Yeury;
1861, Wm. R. Knapp; 1862-4, James S. Haring; 1865, Prince W.
Nickerson; 1866, Prince W. Nickereon; 1867, James Suffem; 1868,
Thomas Lawrence; 1869, James Suffern; 1870-71, James M. Nelson;
1872, Daniel Tompkins; 1873, Wm. Voorhis; 1874, Wm. R. Knapp;
1875, James C. Brown; 1876-7, George W. Weiant; 1878, James M.
Nelson; 1879-80, James W. Husted; 1880-1, John Cleary; 1883, Wm.
H. Thompson; 1884-5, John W. Felter; 1886-7, George Dickey;
1S88-9, Frank P. Demarest; 1890, Arthur S. Tompkins; 1891, Frank
P. Demarest; 1892-3, Thomas Finegan; 1894-6, Otis H. Cutler; 1897,
Fred L. Whritner; 1898-9, Irving Brown; 1900, Frank P. Demarest;
1901, George Dickey.

176 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

SUPEEVISOES.

1857 — Aarou T. Polliannis, Clarkstown; Wesley J. Weiant, Hav-
erstraw; Marcena M. Dickinson, Orangeto^vn; Peter P. Jersey, Eamapo.

1858 — Isaac Tallman, Clarkstown; Wm. R. Knapp, Haverstraw;
James S. Ilaring, Orangeto^vn; John Cruni, Kamapo.

1859 — Isaac Tollman, Clarkstown; "Wm. R. Knapp, Haverstraw;
James S. Ilaring, Orangctown; John Cram, Ramapo.

1860 — James L. Conklin, Clarkstown; John L. DeXoyelles, Hav-
erstraw; James S. Haring, Orangeto\vn; Henry R. Sloat, Ramapo.

1861 — James L. Conklin, Clarksto^vn ; Prince W. ISTickerson, Hav-
erstraw; James S. Haring, Orangetown; John B. Gurnee, Ramapo.

1862 — John E. Hogenkamp, Clarkstown; Prince W. Nickerson,
Haverstraw; John S. Ilaring, Orangctown; John D. Christie, Ramapo.

1863 — John E. Hogenkamp, Clarkstown; Prince W. Kickereon,
Haverstraw; Wm. Dickey, Orangetown; Erastus Johnson, Ramapo.

1864 — Jolin E. Hogenkamp, Clarkstown; Prince W. Niekerson,
Haverstraw; Wm. Dickey, Orangetown; Erastus Johnson, Rairiapo,

1865 — John E. Hogenkamp, Clarkstown; John I. Cole, Haverstraw;
James S. Haring, Orangetown; Andrew Smith, Ramapo; Wesley J.
Weiant, Stony Point.

1860 — John E. Hogenkamp, Clarkstown; John I. Cole, Haverstraw;
James S. Haring, Orangetown; James Sutfern, Ramapo; Wesley J.
Weiant, Stony Point.

1867 — Peter T. Stephens, Clarkstown; John T. Cole, Haverstraw;
James S. Hai-ing, OrangetoAvn; James Siiffern, Eamapo; Daniel Tomp-
kins, Stony Point.

1868— Peter T. Stephens, Clarkstown; Samuel C. Blauvelt, Haver-
straw; James S. Haring, Orangetown; James Suffern, Eamapo; Fred-
erick Tompkins, Stony Point.

1869 — Tunis Blauvelt, Clarkstomi; Samuel C. Blauvelt, Haver-
erstraw; James S. Hai-ing, Orangetown; James Suffern, Eamapo; Geo.
W. Weiant, Stony Point.

1870 — Tunis Blauvelt, Clarkstown; Samviel C. Blauvelt, Haver-
straw; James S. Haring, Orangetown; George W. Suffern, Eamapo;
George W. Weiant, Stony Point.

1871 — Tunis Blauvelt, Clarkstown; Samuel C. Blauvelt, Haver-
straw; James S. Haring, Orangetown; George W. Suffern, Eamapo;
Wm. E. King, Stony Point.

CLOSE OF THE WAR. 177

1872 — Isaac VanlSTostrand, Clarkstown; Samuel C. Blauvelt, Hav-
erstraw; Isaac M. Detlercr, Orangetown; Dvviglit B. Baker, Rainapo;
Wm. E. King, Stony Point.

1873 — Tunis Blauvelt, Clarkstown; Samuel C. Blauvelt, Hav-
erstraw; Isaac M. Dederer, Orangetown; Dwight B. Baker, Ramapo;
Wm. E. King, Stony Point.

1874 — Nelson Stephens, Clarkstown; Samuel C. Blauvelt, Haver-
straw; D. D. Demarest, Orangetown; Peter L. Van Orden, Ramapo;
Wm. E. King, Stony Point.

1875 — Nelson Stephens, Clarkstown; Henry Christie, Haverstraw;
D. D. Demarest, Orangetown; Peter L. VanOrden, Ramapo; Wm. E.
King, Stony Point.

1876 — Nelson Stephens, Clarkstown; John W. Feltor, Haverstraw;
Henry A. Blauvelt, Orangetown; Jacob Snider, Ramapo; H. Osborn,
Stony Point.

1877 — Isaac Van Nostrand, Clarkstown; John W. Felter, Haver-
straw; Henry A. Blauvelt, Orangetown; George W. Suffern, Ramapo;
H. Osbom, Stony Point.

1878 — Isaac Van Nostrand, Clarkstown; John W. Felter, Haver-
straw; Henry A. Blauvelt, Orangetown; George W. Suffern, Ramapo;
Wm. E. King, Stony Point.

1879 — Bame Van Houten, Clarkstown; John W. Felter, Haver-
straw; John H. Blauvelt, Orangetown; George W. Suffern, Ramapo;
Wm. E. King, Stony Point.

1880 — Bame Van Houten, Clarksto\vn; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
George Dickey, Orangetown; George W. Suffern, Ramapo; Fred Tomp-
kins, Stony Point.

1881 — Joseph G. Demai-est, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haver-
straw; George Dickey, Orangetown; George W. Suffern, Ramapo; Fred
Tompkins, Stony Point.

1882 — Joseph G. Demarest, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haver-
straw; Hagaman Onderdonk, Orangetown; Peter Tallman, Ramapo;
Fred Tompkins, Stony Point.

1883 — Frank P. Demarest, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
George Dickey, Orangetown; Peter Tallman, Ramapo; Fred Tomp-
kins, Stony Point.

178 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

1884 — Frank P. Demarcst, Clarkstown; Josiah Fclter, Haverstraw;
George Dickey, Oi'angetoAvii ; Peter Tallman, Ramapo; Fred Tomp-
kins, Stony Point.

1885 — Frank P. Deniarest, Clarksto^\^l; Josiah Felter, Ilaveretraw ;
George Dickey, Orangetown; Abram D. Blauvelt, Ramapo; Wm. K.
Hammond, Stony Point.

1886 — Frank P. Demarest, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Henry E. Smith, Orangetown; Jacob Snider, Ramapo; Wni. K. Ham-
mond, Stony Point.

1887 — Frank P. Demarest, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Andrew X. Fallon, Orangetown; Jacob Snider, Ramapo; Richard B.
Marks, Stony Point.

1888 — Frank P. Demarest, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Andrew X. Fallon, Orangetown; Jacob Snider, Ramapo; Mordacai F.
Washburn, Stony Point.

1899 — Frank P. Demarest, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Andrew X. Fallon, Orangetown; John C. Messimer, Ramapo; Richard
B. Marks, Stony Point.

1890 — Frank P. Demarest, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Peter B. McGregor, Ramapo; Andrew X. Fallon, Orangetown; Richard
B. Marks, Stony Point.

1891 — Joseph DelSToyelles, Clarkstown; Andrew X. Fallon, Orange-
town; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw; Peter B. McGregor, Ramapo; Alex.
Rose, Stony Point.

1892 — Joseph DeXoyelles, Clarkstown; C. V. A. Blauvelt, Orange-
town; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw; T. Harry Ward, Ramapo; Fred W.
Penny, Stony Point.

1893 — Joseph DeNoyelles, Clarkstown; C. V. A. Blauvelt, Orange-
to^vn; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw; T. HaiTy Ward, Ramapo; Fred W.
Penny, Stony Point.

1894 — Joseph DeNoyelles, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Andrew X. Fallon, Orangeto^^^l ; T. Harry Ward, Ramapo ; Alex. Rose,
Stony Point.

1895 — Joseph DelvToyelles, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Andrew X. Fallon, Orangetown; Warren Blanchard, Ramapo; Alex.
Rose, Stony Point.

CLOSE OF THE WAR. 179

1896— Frank P. Demarest, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Andrew X. Fallon, Orangetown; Abram D. Blauvelt, Ramapo; Alex.
Rose, Stony Point.

1897 — Frank P. Demarest, ClarkstOMTi; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Andrew X. Fallon, Orangetown; Abram D. Blauvelt, Ramapo; Alex.
Rose, Stony Point.

1898-9 — Frank P. Demarest, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haver-
straw; Andrew X. Fallon, Orangetown; Frank S. Harris. Ramapo;
Alex. Rose, Stony Point.

1900-1— Alfred V. H. Clark, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haver-
straw; James Van Weelden, Orangetown; Frank S. Harris, Ramapo;
Alex. Rose, Stony Point.

1902-3 — A. V. H. Clark, Clarkstown; Josiah Felter, Haverstraw;
Edwin Lydecker, Orangetown; Frank S. Harris, Ramapo; Alex. Rose,
Stony Point.

COUNTY CLERKS.
1G91, Dirk Stonn; 1703, Wm. Huddleston; 1721, GerardiLs Clows;
1723, Thomas Pullen; 1726, Vincent Matthews, Cornwall; 1735, Ga-
briel Ludlow, Jr.; 1736, Vincent Matthews; 1763, David Matthews;
1794, Reuben Hopkins, Goshen; 1805, Abraham Comelison; 1808,
Thomas Howard, Jr.; 1821, David Pye; 1828, James Stephens; 1832-4,
David Pye; 1835-46, Abraham Hogenkamp; 1847-52, Isaac A. Blau-
velt; Abram DeBaun, to fill vacancy of Isaac A. Blauvelt, to Dec. 31,
1850; 1851-6, John E. Hogenkamp; 1857-68, Abram A. Demarest;
Cyrus M. Ciiun, 1869; elected every three years to the present time.
Term expires December 31, 1904.

COUNTY JUDGES.

1710, John Corbett; 1717, Peter Haring; 1720, Cornelius Haring;
1733, Vincent Matthews; 1739, Abram Peter Haring; 1749, Abram
Haring; 1769, Michael Jackson of Goshen; 1774, John Haring; 1775,
John Coe; 1778, John Haring; 1798, John Suffren; 1806, James
Perry; 1816, Samuel Goctchius; 1820, Edward Suffern; 1833 to 1847,
Edward Suffem.

SURROGATE.

1807— Tunis Smith; 1808, Peter Taulman; 1810, Garret Onder-

180 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

donk; 1811, Eichard Bkiivelt; 1820, Bernard O'Blenis; 1821, James
Stevens; 1829, John Van Houten; 1837 Jolm J. Wood; 1841, George
Benson; 1845, Horatio G. Prall.

COUNTY JUDGE AND SURROGATE.

1847-55, Wm. F. Frazer; 1856- 9, Edward Pye; 1860-'80, Andrew
E. Snffem; 1880-81, Alonzo Wheeler; 1881, Seth B. Cole; 1882-'93,
George W. Weiant; 1893, Wm. McCauley, Jr.; 1894-98, Arthnr S.
Tompkins; 1899, Alonzo Wheeler; 1900-'06, Andrew X. Fallon.

DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.
1818, Edward Suffern; 1820, John T. Smith; 1833-'47, Wm. F.
Frazer; 1847-'53, Horatio G. Prall; 1853-'59, Andrew E. Suffeni;
18C0-'62, Thomas Lawence; 1863-8, M. M. Dickenson; 1869, L. V. E.
Robinson; 1869, Wm. C. Prall; 1870-'72, Hiram B. Fenton; 1873-5,
Seth B. Cole; 1876-8, M. M. Dickenson; 1879-'84, Alonzo Wheeler;
1885-7, Abram A. Demarest; 1888-'90, Garret Z. Snider; 1891-'93,
Wm. McCanley, Jr.; 1894-'96, Frank Comesky; 1897-8, Alonzo
Wheeler; 1899, George A. Wyre;; 1900-'02, Thomas H. Lee.

COUNTY TREASURERS.

1855-'69, Matthew D. Bogert; 1870-'75, John E. Gurnee; 1876-'87,
Daniel D. Demarest; 1888-"93, Abram D. Blauvelt; 1894-'96, Cornel-
ius V. A. Blauvelt; 1897-'99, John M. Hasbrouck; 1900-'02, Wm. J.
Randolph.

SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS.

1844r-'45, Nicholas C. Blauvelt; 1846-'47, Joseph P. Brower;
1848-'49, Wm. B. Westervelt; 1856-'57, Edward Suffeni; 1858-'60,
Simon D. Demarest; 1861-'63, Simon D. Demarest; 1864-'66, Nicholas
C. Blauvelt; 1867-'69, Leander V. E. Robinson; 1869, Nicholas C.
Blauvelt; 1870,'72, Nelson Puff; 1873-'78, Spencer Wood; 1879-'81,
Wm. Van Wagenen; 1882-'84, Thomas W. Suffern; 1885-'87, Thomas
W. Suffern; 1888-'90, George E. Knapp; 1891-'93, Frank Comesky;
1894-'96, George A. Blauvelt; 1897-'99, Robert R. Feltcr; 1900-'02,
John W. Sherwood.

SHERIFFS.

1685, M. Johannus; 1690, Floris W. Crom; 1694, Stanley Hancock
of New York; 1699, John Peterson; 1702, John Perry; 1706, Jeremiah
Caniff; 1708, Cornelius Cooper; 1709, Cornelius Haring; 1718, Timothy

CLOSE OF THE WAR. 181

Halstead; 1730, William Piillen; 1Y37, Michael Dnniiing of Go-
shen, Thadeiis Snedeker; 1741, Joshe Sackett of Cornwall; 175G,
Jonathan Lawrence of Cornwall; 1758, Daniel Everett, Goshen; 1761
Daniel Denton, Goshen; 17C4, Jesse Woodhnll, Cornwall; 1772, James
Matthews of Cornwall; 1777, Isaac NicoU, Goshen; 1781, William W.
Thompson, Goshen; 1785, Hezekiah Howell, Cornwall; 17i)9, Peter
Tanlman; 1800, Peter Stevens; 1804, Evert Hogencamp; 1808, Peter
Stevens; 1810, Isaac Blanch; 1811, Peter Stevens; 1814, Peter Hay;
1818, Jolm B. Haring; 1820, Abram Stephens; 1821, John B. Haring;
1825, A. P. Stephens; 1828, John B. Haring; 1831, Kichard Blauvelt;
1832-'34, Richard Blauvelt; 1835-'37, Hannon Blauvelt; lS3S-'40,
John P. Felter; 1841-'43, John C. Blauvelt; 1844-'46, A. A. Cas-
sedy; 1847-'49, Asbury DeNoyelles; 1850-'52, Hagaman Onderdonk;
1853-'55, Henry L. Sherwood; 1S5G-'5S, John H. Stephens; 1859-'G1,
Wm. Pen-y; 18G2-'64, John H. Stephens; 18G5-'67, Daniel C. Spring-
steen; 18G8, Wm. J. Perry; 1868-'73, Daniel C. Springsteen; 1874'7C,
Charles B. Benson; 1S77'79, Wm. Hutton; 1880-'82, Henry Christie;
1883-'85, John A. Haring; 1886-'S8, Wm. H. Thompson; 1889-'91,
John F. Shankey; 1892-'94, George Dickey; 1895-'97, Edward S.
Annis (died March 10, 1897); 1897, Wm. P. Foss, Wm. Dewey;
1898-1900, Cornelius V. A. Blauvelt; 1901-'03, Fred S. Weiant.

SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE POOR.
1843, Jacob Hauptman, John R. Van Houten, James Suffem,
Jacob J. Eckerson; 1844, Jacob Hauptman, John R. Van Houten,
James Suifern, Jacob J. Eckei-son; 1845, Jacob Hauptman, John R.
T/an Houten, James SufFeni, Jacob J. Eckerson; 1846, Jacob Haupt-
man, James Suffem, John R. Van Houten, Jacob J. Eckerson; 1847,
Jacob Hauptman, Jolm R. Van Hoiiten, Abram J. Dcmarcst, James
Suffern; 1848, John Hunting, John R. Van Houten, Abram J. Dem-
arest, James Suffem; 1849, John Himting; 1849-'50, John A. Haring;
1849-'51, John R. Van Houten; 1850-'52, David Benson; 1851-'53,
Samson Marks; 1853-'55, Richard 'Blauvelt; 1854-'56, George E. De-
Noyelles; 1855-'57, John R. Gumee; 1856-'58, A. S. Crum; 1857-'59,
Abram A. Stagg; 1858-'60, John B. Gumee; 1859-'61, Isaiic Blauvelt;
18G0-'62, Abram A. Stagg; 1861-'G3, Jesse Conklin; 1S62-'G4, Isaiah
Milbura; 1863-'65, Spencer Wood; 1864-'66, Jesse Conklin; 1865-67,
Jacob Horn; lS66-'68, Oscar Wood; 1867-'69, Elias G. Shenvood;

182 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

1868-70, Jacob Horn; 1869-'70, Spencer Wood; 1871-73, Thomas
Dinan; 1872-74, Samuel A. VerValen; 1873-75, Jesse Conklin;
1874-76, Thomas Dinan; 1875, James A. Bams, Erastus Jolmson;
1876-78, William Sen-en; 1877-'80, James Coates; 1878-'80, Eichard
B. Marks; 1881-'83, Eichard B. Marks; 1884-'86, Richard B. Marks;
1887-'89, Hiram W. Babcock; 1890-'92, Hiram W. Babcock; 1893,-95,
Matthew B. Mai-ks; 1896-'98, Hiram W. Babcock; 1899-1901, James
E. Sherwood; 1902-4, James II. Morrissey.

References: Kuttentoer's Orang-e County. Green's Bookland Couniy,

CHAPTER XIV.

KOCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROI'ESSION.

V,y Dr. N. B. Bayley, Ha.versrt.naw.
Piooieer Pihysdciianis — THie Practice of Medicine in Early Days — Organiza-
tion lof Medioail Socie'tieis — Hosipiftals — Biographies, Etc.

I!Nr imdertaking to \vi'ite the medical history of Rockland county one
is met at the threshold with the same kind of obstacles, due to a
paucity of early records, which confronts the histoi"ian of all early
settlements, and makes therefore a full and continuous naiTative of such
affaii's difficult and incomplete. The absence of early records on the part
of the medical profession, the rarity of discoveries in the realm of the
natural sciences, the slow diffusion of the results of scientific adventures,
all combined to render the healing art somewhat unobtrusive. Never-
theless the progress in the science and art of medicine in the last three
centuries are comparable with those in other departments of hu-
man activities. Unlike the discoveries and advancement in other
sciences, such for instance as steam and electricity, which are her-
alded before the world by large and conspicuous mechanisms, the discov-
eries and advancements in the science and art of medicine are made and
performed in the quiet and i>eaceful domain of the laboratory, the hos-
pital and at the bedside of the sick, removed from the gaze of the multi-
tude. Compared with other learned professions there is a reser\'e and
a quietude, withal a .shrinking from publicity, which operates to keep
progress in medicine in some degree removed from the common conver-
sation of everyday affaii-s. Though every house in the land is entered
by the physician, thoiigh large and magnificent hospitals are erected

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL, PROFESSION. 183

tliroiigli the beneficence of the charitable, jet in the public eye the phy-
sician is less in evidence than the lawyer and the priest. The lawyer
comes before the public on innumerable occasions, in pleading the cause
of the unfortunate ( :• in demanding justice for his client, and is the coun-
sellor in every undertakirg in the business world; he makes and to some
extent is made an agent to carry into execution the laws which are often
draughted by his hand. The clergyman is the first man in the society of
every commimity ; every day his voice is heard in prayer, exhortation or
sermon; he is seen and known by all men, he is present at the infant's
first epoch in life, after its birth, its baptism; in manhood at his mar-
riage, the gTeat civil epoch of his life, and finally at the end he pro-
nounces the eulogy which makes the final record. The physician enters
silently the sick room, perfonns his work and silently departs.

Accidents and sickness have always been a part of human history, and
in the relief of distress is found an exemplification of one of the divine
attributes enshrined in the human mind — the law of love. In adminis-
tering to the needs of humanity those in all ages who possessed the
greater skill and clearer comprehension came to have an established po-
sition in the community; the services of such persons were sought on
many occasions, and in this way a fund of empiric knowledge was accu-
mulated which became traditionary stock in the practice of medicine for
many centuries. Much of this traditionary fund of knowledge has been
incorporated in the educational curricula of fonner times so that those
who had the benefit of a moderate education knew much of the medical
practice of the day and were thus enabled to relieve the distress of their
fellow companions. There were many such individuals among the earlier
colonists.

It is not necessary to go into the details of the medical history of the
world in the earlier part of the seventeenth century beyond the statement
that the medical arts were beginning to feel a new impetus in scientific
advancement. This century was a period of imrest in both political and
scientific realms. Harvey in 161.3 was teaching the circulation of the
blood, which gave a new impulse to medicine. It is probable tliat the
colonists were as well supplied \\ath physicians as communities of similar
size in Europe, especially after a permanent foothold had been obtained.
In many of the shiploads of colonists which came to the Atlantic shores
were clergymen who, in addition to their ecclesiastical, had received

184 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

a medical education; but tlicrc were physicians and surgeons also. On
the Mayflower a Mr. Fuller, who had received a medical education, and
his wife, Avho was a midwife, were passengers. In 1607 Dr. Wooten
came to Virginia as Surgeon General of the London Company, and in the
following year Dr. Russell followed. Both, however, returned in a short
time, but were probably succeeded by othei-s. There was no physician on
Manhattan Island in 1620, when Peter Minuet purchased it for twenty-
four dollars, but in the following year a Dr. Lamontagiie, a Huge-
not, arrived, who seems to have been a man of large capability.
Thereafter, as the colonies increased in population, physicians of emi-
nence in Europe emigrated to the New World and found fields of labor.
Young men of affluence in the colonies went abroad to Europe for medi-
cal study, and upon their return laid the foundations of medical instruc-
tion and practice. It was the custom in these days, and, in fact, until
recently, when a young man desired to become a physician to enter the
office of a practitioner of medicine and surgery as his preceptor, who
taught him some of its rudiments and much empiric knowledge. Here he
remained for some time, and in some cases if unable to enter a medical
college for study he received a license to practice medicine from some as-
sociation of physicians empowered to confer this privilege upon examina-
tion. For many years county medical societies were empowered to exam-
ine candidates for the practice of medicine and to grant licenses therefor.
Many capable and reputable practitioners received their medical educa-
tion and licenses for practice in this manner. This county has had sev-
eral such practitioners. The student who entered Tipon such a course of
medical study was said "to read medicine," a phrase no doubt oftentimes
true that he "read" rather than studied ; but he sometimes studied. Be-
sides "studying medicine" the student attended to some of his preceptor's
domestic work, such as the care of the hoi"se and gardens. The recita-
tions were more or less regular, depending somewhat iipon the preceptor's
teaching ability and time at his disposal. Frequently the student attended
his preceptor — both in their saddles — in his long rides through forests
and fields, over mountains and throiigh valleys, which afforded many op-
portunities for discoursing upon the symptoms, history and treatment of
the diseases in the patients they had visited, pointing out critical signs
and prog-nostications and drawing the attention of tlie student to the
proper method of examination, caring for and trentmont of the patient,

ROCKL/AND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 18S

meanwhile interspersing his impromptu lectnrc with many wise counsels,
derived from experience. These clinical lectures no doubt would com-
pare favorably with many delivered at the present day in hospitals and
colleges furnished with all the paraphernalia which science and wealth
affords. It was not infrequent that eminent physicians had several stu-
dents for his class. Besides the clinical coiiversations, students were
occasionally taught botany and the art of compounding medicines, as
physicians usually dispensed the remedies which they prescribc<l.

After iinishing such apprenticeship if the student had the financial
means he took one or two coiirses of lectures in a medical college or trav-
elled abroad to perfect his medical education. Such a preparation iisually
contributed to make its possessor a prominent practitioner.

It was not infrequent that the medical and ecclesiastical professions
were united in the same persons and both exercised at the same time.
Dr. Stiles, President of Yale College, (and also a clergyman), relates in
his "Diary" that he gave regular courses of medical lectures to the stu-
dents under his care, some of whom subsequently received a medical de-
gree and practiced medicine and who at the same time filled the position
of pastorates to churches. In Scudder's "Life of James Russell Lowell"
it is related that Lowell's father, Itev. Chas. Lowell, a clergyman
who was educated in Edinburgh, received also a medical education,
wdiich was of service to him in his parochial ministrations, "he car-
ried the gospel in one hand and bread and pills in the other." This w^as
not an infrerjuent practice in the earlier part of the nineteenth century,
judging from the many traditional stories which have come down to us,
such as "Our pastor received a call in the midst of his sermon and dis-
missed the congregation."

Nevertheless the necessity for medical services were probably not as
frequent in the earlier colonial days as in later times. The healthful out-
door life, the natiu'^e of their occupation, the plain but substantial articles
of food which formed their diet, the freedom from bad sanitation — a too
frequent concomitant of large towns and villages — the few mechanical
appliances and machinery both for indoor and outdoor work, the absence
of huge engines for locomotion and propulsion, and the sturdy common
sense of our ancestors in this country all contributed to render them
imusually free from disease and accidents and tended to longevity. It is
probable this rough frontier life barred out the weak and fragile. Severe

186 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY,

blasting epidemics occun-ed at long inten^als, but our country has no
record of any such devastating blight as has occuiTed in all other parts
of the world. Vaccination coming into practice in the earlier part of the
nineteenth century mitigated the devastation from smallpox, and the
sparsely settled commimities limited the ravages of scarlatina and diph-
theria. Cholera once or twice obtained a foothold upon the Hudson
river shores, but owing to the progress of sanitary science that danger
is happily past. In these colonial houses scattered over the hills and
through the valleys of our county the sick were cared for by the female
members of the family, assisted by their neighbors and friends, who were
always willing to give such helpfiil assistance as lay in their power. The
chikh'en were nursed by their mother and her relatives. The wife was
ministered to by some one in the neighborhood who by practice had ob-
tained skill as a midwife, and only in emergencies was a physician sum-
moned. And, indeed, owing to the excellent physique and healthfulness
of the women, the summoning of a physician in a majority of cases would
have been a useless errand as, owing to the long and difficult roads, his
sendees could not have been available until the emergency requiring them
had passed. In the earlier days of the colony and even down to the rec-
ollection of the "oldest inhabitant" every physician, when he visited a
sick {X>rson, carried in his saddle bags his annamentarium, a wonderful
som-ce of supplies to the youthful eyes which beheld them. When a phy-
sician was called to a family he frequently stayed until the emergency
was passed, whether childbirth or waiting for the crisis of tlic fever, and
sometimes the detention would last several days, "until the patient was
out of danger."

The sparsity of population, the long distances to be travelled, and that
absence of general education which gives stimulus to the habit of record-
ing daily happenings, combined with a strenuous effort for existence, suf-
fices to account for a paucity of historical knowledge of the earlier colo-
nial settlements. When the area now known as Rockland county was
first settled it was embraced within the jurisdiction of Orange county.
The early settlers were too few and too scattered to support a physician;
they were hai'dy pioneers, their habits were adapted to plain living and
to sturdy labor in wrestling with the elements of Nature, in which all
things seemed to conspire to make men and women of fortitude, and en-
abled them to battle against the commoner ills which l>efall mankind in

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 187

luxurious living. lu fact, their good seuse demanded skilled medical
attention, and when the population had increased sufficiently to support
a resident physician one was settled amongst them.

The population of Rockland county inci'eased slowly. In Orange
county, which included Ilockland, there were in IG'J'3 "not above twenty
families — 219 persons, inchuling 19 negroes." In 1702 the population
numbered 268, of which number 33 were negroes. In 1712 the number
of inhabitants was 439. In 1723 the population had increased to 1244,
and in 1731 to 1969. In 1738 the poi>ulatiou of Orangetown precinct
was 830, of Ilaverstraw 654; a total of 1484. At this date there was
a sufficient population in Rockland county to induce a physician to locate
here.

The earliest record of any physician living in Rockland county is that
of Dr. James (?) Osbom, who came thither from England in 1730 and
settled within the precinct of Ilaverstraw, (it is said In the part which is
now Stony Point). His practice extended over a larg-e domain, long and
lengthy joiu-neys were I'equired to visit the sick and suffering men and
women who had braved the terrors of the \vildeniess, and the dangers
from the Indians who roamed throughout that region. At that time he
was probably the only physician on the west side of the Hudson river
south of Newburgh. He continiied in his practice until his death, of
which there is no record. There can be no doubt that this pioneer phy-
sician was skillful in his profession and wrought good results among the
early settlers. He was succeeded by his son, Dr. Richard Osbom, who
was born in this county. Of his early life we know nothing further than
that he studied medicine mth his father as his preceptor and subse-
quently attended medical lectures in New York city and then returned
to the Haverstraw precinct, where he settled in his father's practice, to
which he succeeded upon his death. It is related that he entered the
Federal army and was active in the service of Wa.shington during the
Revolution. At the close of the war he resumed his practice in Stony
Point, where he continued imtil his death, which occurred in 1786.
Some of the bills made out by him for professional services are still
extant, but never paid — a fate which has met many physicians' bills since
that time. Dr. Osboni's practice, like his father's, nmst have extended
over the whole area of Rockland county, and also the southern part of
Orange. Long and mountainous roads, through forests and swamps.

188 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

often mere bridle-paths, wliicli required sharp sight and a sure-footed
horse for passage, were the diliiculties wliich a pioneer physician Iiad to
face. Our wonderment is that he succeeded so well. There were doubt-
less other early physicians who lived in the precinct of Ilavci-straw of
whom we have no record. Contemjwrancous with the later yeai-s of Ur.
liichard Osbom, Dr. Jacob Outwater of Tappan ministered to the wants
of a large community in the southern part of the county. lie was suc-
ceeded by his son and grandson. (See notice of Dr. Jacob Outwater).
In Dr. Greene's History of Eockland County is a reference to a Dr. Jesse
Coe, who died in 1825, at the untimely age of twenty-five, and whose
tombstone stands in the burying ground near the English church. In
the same ground is found a stone erected to the memory of Margarett,
wife of Dr. William Dusenbuiy, who died August 3rd, 1828.

In the early decades of the nineteenth century Dr. Abram Cornelison
lived and practiced medicine in Clarkstown, near Clarksvillc. He was
the first president of the original — but soon defunct — Eockland Coimty
Medical Society in 1829. There are extant unpaid bills of his for medi-
cal attendance of the years 1813-14-15. Dr. Cornelison was a portly
man, weighing more than 300 pounds. He was always neatly attired,
wearing a white waistcoat and clothing of fine texture. It is said that
when he received a "call" to make a visit upon a patient that he first
partook of a glass of whiskey — a practice in those days not considered
reprehensible. He was twice married. He had two sons and two daugh-
ters. Dr. Cornelison lived to be an old man, probably eighty years of
age at his death, which occiin-ed aboTit the year 1835, at his home in
( 'larkstown, and where his body is interred. One of his sons, Dr. Abram
Dubois Cornelison, studied medicine and practiced for a time in Haver-
straw, living on West street at its intersection with Main. He was sec-
retary of the Rockland County Medical Society in 1829. He removed
from Haverstraw in August, 1834, to No. 243 Hudson street, New York
city, where he continued in practice the remainder of his life. The Drs.
Cornelison, both father and son, are said to have been skillful physicians.
There was formerly among physicians a custom of advertising which is
not seen among reputable men at the pi-esent day; thus Dr. Cornelison
in an advertisement in the "North River Times" gives notice of his re-
moval to New York, thanks his patrons for the confidence reposed in him,
and asks for its continuance. Another physician states his qualifications,

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 189

mentious his alma mater, the number of years of experience, and adds that
he will truly practice the medical art. He probably had in mind the Hip-
l^ocratic Oath. In point of time the next physician to settle in Haver-
straw was Mark Pratt, A. M., M. D., who was descended from an old New
England family and was born in Kent, Coun., April 15, 1804. He came
from a scholarly family, as is evidenced by his gradnation in Arts from
Yale College in 1826, and also his brother at a later date. He studied
medicine at Yale College and graduated two years later, in 1828. After
graduation he practiced for a short time in Delhi, Delaware comity, N.
Y., but in 1833 he removed to Haverstraw, where he continued in prac-
tice until his death, which occun-ed Jan. 25, 1875, at the age of 74 years.
He was buried in his native town. Dr. Pratt received a more thorough
education than a majority of physicians in his day had an opportunity of
obtaining and was therefore better fitted to serve the public in the capac-
ity of his profession. He soon took a successful standing, and for years
it is said no other physician could obtain a foothold in his neighborhood.
In 1848 he met with a severe accident, sustaining a fractui'c of the
skull which nearly cost him his life. The imperfect recovery from this
injury left him in a condition of impaired health, which was progTessive,
and gradually resulted in lessened ability to work, and consequently in a
narrowing of his practice.

He was a genial, witty man, with a warm heart for everyone in
trouble; with a kind word or a joking remark his presence often served
to lighten the cares and distresses of his patients. He was zealous in his
attachment to his profession. His memory is still presei'ved among the
people among whom he labored so long and well. The name of Dr.
Govan seems to connect the link of the older generation of physicians
mth the yoimger in the northern part of the county. Dr. William
Govan was born in Bamet, Vt., August 12th, 1818. His father was
a Presbyterian minister who came from Glasgow, Scotland, about 1815,
to Northern New England. He held pastorates in various towns in Ver-
mont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Yoimg Govan entered Kim-
ball Union Academy, Meriden, N. H., at the age of sixteen, and was
prepared for college; he entered Dartmouth College in 1835 and gTad-
uated in 1839. In 1840 he began the study of medicine, and in 1843
received a license to practice. In 1844 he received the degree of A. M.
from Dartmouth College, and in 1854 he received the degxee of M. D.

190 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

from the New York Medical College. In 1843 Dr. Govan commenced
the practice of medicine in Stony Point, where he continued nntil his
death. He also conducted a drag store. In 1858 he became a permanent
member of the Medical Society of the State of ISTcw York, and in IS GO
he was elected a permanent member of the American Medical Associa-
tion. In 1872 he became a fellow of the American Academy of Medi-
cine. In 1881 he was chosen vice president of the Medical Society of
the State of New York; in 1S44 he became a fellow of the New York
State Medical Association. He was secretary of the Rockland Co^mty
Medical Society for twenty-five years, and also was a coroner of Rock-
land county for twenty years. Dr. Govan was an active citizen and was
interested in political, educational and religious affairs. In politics he
was a Democrat, in religion a Presbyterian until late in life, when he
joined the Episcopal Church. He married, in 1845, Miss Lucia J. ilitcli-
ell, of Peekskill. Of this union two sons and one daughter were born.
Dr. Govan's death occurred March 22, 1894, at the age of 74 years. His
widow, one daughter and one son sTuwive him. His body was interred
with Masonic honors.

Tlie only physicians practicing in Stony Point during the life time
of Dr. Govan until the last five years of his life were the Dr. Garrisons,
father and son, who removed from Brooklyn, N. Y., to Stony Point in
the year 1862. The elder. Dr. Nelson A. Garrison, of Stony Point, was
born in Brookljai, N. Y., and practiced medicine there for many years.
In 1862 he removed to Stony Point, where he practiced until his death,
which occuri'ed on Jan. 26, 1872, at the age of 73 years. He was suc-
ceeded in his practice by his son. Dr. N. A. Gan-ison. The senior Dr.
Garrison possessed much skill as a physician and enjoyed the confidence
of his patrons.

Dr. Nelson A. Gamson, Jr., of Stony Point, who was an only child,
and bore his father's name, was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., Aii-
gaist 19, 1838. Dr. Garrison received his early education in
the schools of his native city, and when fitted to enter u]iou
the study of medicine entered the Medical Department of the Uni-
versity of New York, from which he graduated with honor in
1858. He afterwards pursued a post graduate course in the same insti-
tiition, and then entered upon the practic-e of medicine in his home
neighborhood in his native city. He soon became connected ^vith the
Long Island College Hospital. In 1862 the family removed to Stony

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 191

Point, where soon afterwards the senior Dr. GaiTison died. Dr. Gar-
rison continned in practice until his death, whicli occurred in August,
1893, at the age of 55 years. He was married November 21st, 1865, to
Miss Barbara Suffern, granddaughter of the late John H. Suffern, and
who survives her husband. Dr. Garrison was well and favorably kno^vn
as a physician, a man and a citizen. His patients were his loyal friends.
The poor found in Dr. Garrison a friend in need, who knew how to dis-
tribute alms without giving offense. To many a poor family his reply
when asked for a bill was, "You need it more than I." Strong and rugged
in physique, cheerful in his demeanor, pleasant and affable to all, his
sudden death came as a sui-prise and a loss to the community where he
had lived so long, and whose death was lamented by all.

Dr. John Heron Sullivan, of Haverstraw, was bom in the county
of Cork, Ireland, July 12th, 1824, of veiy respectable parentage,
his father being a land-owner. His father's and mothei-'s names were
respectively Cornelius and Mary Sullivan. Young Sullivan received
an excellent education, graduating in Arts at Trinity College, Dub-
lin. He subsequently pui-sued his studies in Paris, under the direc-
tion of the celebrated Cmveillhier. He came to the United States dur-
ing the earlier part of the Mexican War and enlisted in the U. S. army,
the life and excitement of a military campaign having attractions for
him at that early period of his career. He showed courage at the Battle
of Chepultepec, and was \^'ith General Scott when he entered the City
of Mexico. He had already given some attention to medicine before his
emigration to the United States, but after his return from the Mexican
War he again turned his attention to the medical profession and entered
the Philadelphia College of Medicine, where he graduated in 1853. He
married Miss Ophelia Marsland, of Ossining, IST. Y. He chose the south
for his field of work and settled in Warthen, Washington county,
Georgia, where he built up an excellent practice and was highly respected
throughout that region. Here he was happily and thoroughly at work
when the dark, ominous clouds of the Ci\'il War broke over them. Dr.
Sullivan was contented to cultivate his farm, practice his profession and
see his family grow up around him in love and affection, and although
death had entered their home and taken away two of his children, who
were buried in Southern soil, yet it had made tinner his attachment to
his Southern home, as he had both prospered and suffered there. But the
ominous sounds of an impending conflict were reverberating tlirough the

192 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

laiul and stin-ed all men to zealous activity as tlicir minds were fed Tipou
the threatened danger to property and homes. The people of neither
section of the country understood each other, nor could the people of
one section put themselves in the place of those of the other. The moral-
ity of slavery on the one side and the vital necessity of slavery to the
prosperity of the south upon the other could on neither side be discussed
with equanimity. Dr. Sullivan and his family, though not to "manor
bom," could sympathize wnih their neighbors and friends and under-
stand their situation, but as he had never become a slave holder (he
hired the colored man instead of buying him) so he had never become
a "trac Southerner;" and so in spite of his recognized professional skill
and neighboring friendships, he became a "marked man." Dr. Sullivan
had no desire to interest himself in politics, nor to enter the South-
em army. He was closely watched and soon some of his hot-headed
neighbors brought his case to the attention of the Vig-ilance Committee,
on a charge of treason, where had it not been for some loyal friends, he
would have been severely dealt with. Though his case had been post-
poned through the influence of personal friends for a time, to give him
an opportunity to join their cause, yet the inevitable charge of treason
was fonnulated against him, and his case was placed on the calendar for
the nest session of the county court, soon to be held at the Coiuity Court
House. Here his friends again came to his rescue, even after he had told
them that he could never trail the flag of his eountiw in the dust after
fighting imder its folds. A good neighbor who had early received infor-
mation of the proposed a.rrest of Dr. Sullivan hastened to him and
after assuring himself of the utmost privacy, told him of his con-
templated arrest and advised him to escape immediately. Dr. Sullivan
acted upon this advice and went to Savannah, where he consulted a good
friend, Colonel Hardee, a brother of General Hardee of the Confederate
army. The Colonel gave him a pass to his brother, then at Nashville,
Tenn., who helped the escaping Unionist into the Union lines. Six
weeks afterwards friends of the doctor enabled his wife and cliildren to
make their way by devioiis routes to the Union army in Kentucky and
so on to their INorthem home. In his flight from the Confederacy, Dr.
Sullivan lost all his property. Real estate, cotton, bills receivable, every-
thing was left behind and under various pretexts confiscated. After re-
turning North, Dr. Sullivan enlisted in the Union anny and was ap-

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL, PROFESSION. 193

pointed by Gov. Seymour of ISTew York, First Assistant Surgeon to the
Third N. Y. State VoL Infantry and liehl this post until the close of the
war. In his army sendee Dr. Sullivan had charge of large general hos-
pitals. After the regiment was disbanded Dr. Sidlivan came to Haver-
straw, in April, 1S66, and entered npon the practice of medicine, where
he continued until his death, whicdi occurred November 7, 1879, at the
age of 54 years. His widow and seven daughters survive him. Dr. Sul-
livan had an extensive practice covering a large area. His counsel was
eagerly sought, his clear, penetrating mind, excellent training and large
medical experience enabled him to bring to the bedside a large knowl-
edge of his profession in the diagnosis and treatment of the sick. Thus
he was a successful physician and his memory is still fresh among those
who had received of his skill and kindness. Dr. Sullivan was a schol-
arly man, and delighted to spend his spare moments in the reading of
classic authors.

Dr. William S. House, of Ilaverstraw, a son of Garrett O. House, a
descendant of an old Rockland county family, was born in Clarkstown,
May 15, 1837. In early childhood his father removed to !N^ew York city,
where the children received a good public school education. When Dr.
House had received his preliminary education he entered the i^ew York
Medical College as a medical student, and in due course graduated in
1858 as a physician. He immediately settled in Spring Valley, where he
resided ten years, making many friends and building up a reputation as a
skillful physician. Feeling that a \vider sphere of work awaited him in
Ilaverstraw, he removed thither, where he resided until death, which oc-
cuiTed on January 26th, 1900. As a physician he won the confidence of
the connnunity. He was faithful and untiring in his ministrations Tipon
the sick, firm in his opinion and a trusted coimselor. Dr. House was twice
married, his first wife dying shortly after man-iage. He married for his
second wife Miss GriiEn, who with two sons and a daughter survive him.

Another physician of whom only the older inhabitants have a clear
rcmembi-ance is Dr. John Perdue, of Haveretraw, a gi-aduate of the
Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa., who came to Haverstraw
in 1S43. In 1850 he removed to Pennsylvania, biit did not remain long
and returned to Haverstraw, where he continued in practice until his
death. He was a genial man and active in his work. He was of an
inquiring turn of mind, seeking if possible to discover the antecedent

194 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

caiist^ of every event. This anecdote is related of liiiii, which is said to
be characteristic: One day Dr. Perdue had the misfortune to fall into a
cistern partly filled with water, which while it was not sufRciently deei)
to endanger his life, made his situation an extremely uncomfortalile one.
His noighboi-s came rapidly to his rescue and quickly made the necessary
arrangements to extract the Doctor from his unpleasant predicament,
but firet he insisted upon giving his friends a detailed account of the
accident. The Doctor's friends were more practical than he and tohl
him that they would first get him out of the cistern, and then he could
explain the accident to his heart's content. Dr. Perdue had a largo
practice, and was regarded as a safe and trustworthy counsellor. He was
a local preacher in the Methodist Church.

Dr. Herbert B. Chambre, of Haverstraw, was bom in London, Eng.,
in 1833, his father being an Episcopal clergyman. In the prosecution
of his studies he obtained a situation in Guy's Hospital, under the tuition
of Prof. Quain. He graduated with honors, having received the Physi-
cian's Certificate of Guy's Hospital on examination. After the death of
his father, the family emigrated to the United States, going first to
Indiana, wliere they remained for a short time only, and then removed to
Brooklyn, ^N". T., where Dr. Chambre first entered upon the practice of
medicine. Soon afterwards he had as a patient a lady belonging in
Stony Point, who was so well pleased with his treatment that her family
induced him to settle in Rockland county. He came finally to Haver-
straw, where he bought a dnig store, which he earned on in connection
with his practice. The work necessary to carry on both interests proving
too gTeat, he sold out the dnig store and removed to Dover, N. J., where
he entered upon a less exacting work. Soon afterward he enlisted in the
Fourteenth New Jersey Vol. Inf., and was made a surgeon of the regi-
ment. In the performance of his duties he received a sunstroke which
so impaired his health that he was compelled to ask for his discharge
from service. He returned to Dover, where he remained for some time,
and when sufRciently recuperated to warrant the undertaking of the
practice of his profession, he removed again to Havci-straw, wliere he
continued in practice until his death, which occurred August 13, 1S81.
He was buried ^vith Masonic ceremonies. Dr. Chandire enjoyed the
confidence of the community and was esteemed an excellent physician.

N. B. BAYLEV. M.D.

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 195

Dr. lleury Ilasbrovick House, of Eockland Lake, was boru at Pearl
Eiver, Rockland county, April 1st, 1842. He was the second son of
Cajit. Garret 0. House and Elizabeth (Hasbrouck) Hovisc, and a younger
brother of Dr. William S. House, of Haverstraw, and cousin of Dr.
Moses C. Hasbrouck, of Nyack. At an early age his parents moved to
New York city, where they remained for a short period only, when they
returned to Nyack, where he attended school until his thirteenth year,
when his father, who was captain of the steamboat Isaac P. Smitli,
removed to Haverstraw, where his education was continued in the Moun-
tain Institution, then conducted by Prof. Lems B. Hardcastle, and lat«r
in the Claverick Institute and Rutherford's Institute, at Kyack. Taking
up the study of medicine, he entered the University Medical College, N.
Y., and graduated in 1863. Dr. House, immediately iipon his gradua-
tion, opened an office in Englewood, N. J., where he I'emained a few
years. He then removed to New City, Rockland county, staying a few
months, and then to Haverstraw, where he opened a drug store, which
lie caiTJed on only a short time, removing in 1873 to Rockland Lake,
which remained his field of labor until his death. Dr. House was sur-
geon for the West Shore R. R. and in the discharge of his duties received
an injury which terminated fatally. Dr. House was greatly interested
in matters pertaining to the interests of the community in which he
lived. He merited the esteem of his friends and acquaintances. He was
for many years Postmaster of Rockland Lake and also a member of the
Board of Education and took a deep interest in educational matters. Ho
mari'ied in 1863 Miss Pamelia Vcr Valen, daughter of Richard Ver
Valen, Esq., of Haverstraw. His death occurred April 1st, 1896, on his
54tli birthday. He is svirvived by his widow and two sons.

Of the eclectic physicians in this county none were held in higher
esteem than Dr. Reuben H. Owen, who spent his life in the practice of
his profession in Haverstraw. Dr. Owen was bom in Orange county
-Tuly 11, 1819. His early education was obtained by his own efforts.
He was a poor l)oy who worked in the summer time in the brickyards to
obtain means for a livelihood and to assist in supporting his father's fam-
ily. He had a natural bent towards the study of medicine which was
fostered by his father's relatiA^es. His father was a school teacher and
a man of more than ordinary intelligence, with a love for the study of
nature. Dr. Owen had a hard struggle to carry out his plans to fit him-

196 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

self for his life work, but by diligence lie was enabled as the result of his
siniuuer's work to pursue his studies during the winter months. He
entered the New York Eclectic Medical College, where he graduated
iu 1842. For a time he practiced in New York. He then removed to
Haverstraw, where he spent his entire life, a period of forty years. Dr.
Owen was reputed a safe, cautious, physician, and always ready to give
his services to the poor as readily as to the rich. To relieve the distress
of the suffering was to him a duty that was not tinctured with any sense
of gain. He was of a deeply religious turn of mind and zealous in his
church, of which he was one of its most active and enthusiastic worship-
])ers. Dr. Owen was prominent in the Eclectic School of Medicine in this
State. He was president of the Eclectic State Medical Society for some
years, and also a delegate to the National Eclectic Medical Association
tl'c year of his death. Dr. Owen enlisted during the Civil War in the
17th Eegiment, New York State National Guard, sei-\'ing only a few
months. He was surgeon to the Edward Pye Post, G. A. R., until his
death. In 1842 Dr. Owen married Miss Jane Abrams, of Newburgh,
N. Y. His death occuiTcd Jan. 11, 1884. His funeral was held in the
Metliodist Church, Haverstraw, under the auspices of the Edward Pye
Post, G. A. R., and Stony Point Lodge No. 313, F. and A. M., both of
which organizations he was a member.

Of the physicians whose memory remains imdimmed among the
people with whom he spent his whole professional life the name of Spen-
ser Stephen Sloat stands prominent. He descended from an old line of
Rockland coimty families in the southeastern part of the county, seeing
first the light of day at Sloatsburg, N. Y., April, 1827. His parents
were Stephen Sloat and Catherine Ward Sloat. Young Sloat received
an excellent education in the public schools and Academy and after-
wards entered upon the study of medicine in the College of Physicians
and Surgeons, New York, receiving his diploma from that institution
in 1850. Soon after graduation Dr. Sloat began the practice of med-
icine in Haverstraw, in association with Dr. C. H. Austin, a prominent
practitioner, who soon retired from practice. Dr. Sloat had many of the
cpialities which ai-e essential to a physician's success. In addition to a
genial disposition and the ability to see quickly and to prescribe a speedy
remedy, he possessed a certain magnetism which drew men to him. Dr.
Sloat always had an extensive practice. He enlisted in the Civil "War

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 197

nnd was appointed surgeon to tlie 95tli IST. Y. State Vol. Inf., wlilch posi-
tii)n lie held three years. He was a member of the Edward Pyc Post,
G. A. K. In addition to liis professional acquirements, I)r. Sloat was a
fine mnsicinn and played the organ in the Presbyterian (Jhurcli of Ilav-
erstraw for many years. Dr. Sloat practiced medicine in Ilavci-straw
and yicinity for thirty years and was probably more intimately known
than any other physician in the northeastern portion of Pockland county.
Dr. Sloat's death occurred Xoy. 30, 1880, at the age of 53 yeai"s. The
catise of death was ajwplexy, of which he had had premonitions for sev-
eral years. Dr. Sloat was buried from the Central Presbyterian Church,
the Rev. Dr. Amasa S. Freeman preaching the funeral senuon. The
Edward Pye Post, G. A. R., had charge of the funeral. Dr. Sloat mar-
ried Miss Mary Perkins about 1850. His widow, one son, Mr. Charles
Sloat, druggist, of Ilaverstraw, and two daughters sur\'ive, one, the
eldest, marrying Mr. Richard W. Oldfield, of Haverstraw.

Dr. Stephen William Allen, born in Columbia county, N. Y., came to
Ilaverstraw and practiced medicine for a period of twenty-five yeai-s. He
belonged to the Homeopathic school, but was not a naiTow — nor can it
be said, scarcely a sectarian physician, as he was professionally on ami-
cable terms with the physicians of his neighborhood. Dr. Allen was
kind to the poor, never asking compensation for his sei-vices whenever
he saw that the payment of a fee would be a hardship to the patient.
That Dr. Allen's professional friendship wgs considered worth having
l)y many of the physicians of his vicinity' is evident from the numerous
charges for violation of the "Code of Ethics" preferred by the Rockland
County Medical Society against several of its members for professional
consultations with him. The "Code of Ethics" of the old physicians
forbade any member of the society to consult with a homeopathic or sec-
tarian physician. All this seems puerile and we are glad to say is an
ol>solete custom in medical affairs. Dr. Allen enlisted in the C'ivil "War
in the I7th Regiment, New York State National Guard. Dr. Allen
had a large practice and was considered a skillful physician. To the
poor he was indeed a phy.sician in need. Dr. Allen died Augiist 2, 1884,
aged 62 years. His illness continued for several months, during this
time he received many testimonials of kindness from all the neighboring
physicians. He was twice married. His widoAy, who was Miss Carrie
A. Owaram, survives him.

198 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

A young physician whose ability promised a skillful practitioner
was Dr. Adolphus Howland Wood, of Tompkins Cove (Stony Point).
lie was of the "manor bom," a native of the vicinity where he lived and
where he commenced his life's work. Dr. Wood was bom August 30,
1876. He received his education at the Haverstraw public school and
after graduating from this school he pursued a course in commercial
studies at Packard's Business College, New York. But a commercial
life was not to be his final choice, so accordingly he entered upon a course
of medical studies in Bellevue Hospital Medical College, entering in
September, 1893, and graduating in March, 1897. He settled in the
practice of medicine at Tompkins Cove Sept., 1897, and although mvich
yoinigcr than physicians usually ai-e when entering upon the prac-
tice of their profession, Dr. Wood immediately took a good position
as a physician in the community, and was winning the confidence of his
neighbors and friends when he was suddenly stricken with meningitis,
to which he succumbed, after a short illness, Feb. 21st, 1899. The med-
ical profession attended the funeral. He was unmarried and is survived
l>y his mother and gTandfather.

The pioneer physician of the southwestern section of the coTinty,
called in the fonner times by the general name of Hemstead, and lat«r
Ramapo, was Dr. Zebadee Wood. In the year of 1810 the establish-
ments for the manufactm'c of iron and cotton founded by the Pierson
Brothers had spread thrift and prospei'ity in this ^acinity and increased
the growth of the village of Eamapo to a population of 700 persons, and
benefited the farmers in a circuit of many miles by obtaining a good pay-
ing market for grain and other farm products. At this time (1810) the
proprietors of these works, impressed with the necessity and propriety of
having a resident physician in the place, wrote to Dr. Zebadee Wood,
with whose worth and capabilities they were no doubt well acquainted,
and solicited him to locate there, assiu^ng him that if the income from his
])ractiee did not amount to $fi00 per year, they would make up the defi-
ciency. He accordingly came, and as he was bom in 1775 he must have
l)een a young man in the prime of life at the age of 35 years. He tlien
began a life of arduous toil, not only in the village, but for many long
miles in all directions. He is described by all who remember him ns
a rather small man and very fine looking, and as he traveled on his pro-
fessional calls, mounted on his cantering horse, wrapped up in cloak

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 199

and cap, his long silken and cnrly locks dangling over his shonlders,
with capacious saddle-bags fastened to the back of his saddle, and no
•lonbt a pair of bright lances in his vest pocket to draw rivulets of blood,
lie ])i'esented an Tuiique, pleasant and picturesque figure.

lie remained in this place for thirty -five years, passing all the time
in unwearied toil, ready and prompt to answer any call, and do all he
could for the sick and suffering in the community, and thus lived and
labored without a stain on his character. In the year 1845, when he
had reached the age of seventy years, no doubt becoming tired and
unable to continue this hard work, he came into the possession of a large
farm about two miles east of Suffern, where he removed and lived more
at ease and in the enjoyment of rural felicity, and secured a condition
in life named by Cicero "Otium cum dignitate," leisure and dignity,
which shoiild be the lot and reward of every aged physician. He still
continued a moderate practice among his friends and neighbors until
old age and infinnity forced him to relinquish liis labors. So he grew
old and helpless and died in January, 1857, in his eighty-second year,
and is buried in the cemeteiy at Ramapo, K. Y., and has the very appro-
priate epitaph on his monument, "He rests from his labors."

When Dr. Wood left Ramapo, in 1845, Dr. Daniel L. Reeves took
his place. He was then a young vmmarried man, well educated and very
sociable, and not being forced by necessity to labor hard to support a
family, was inclined to be somewhat negligent in his attention to profes-
sional work. He remained imtil 1851, when he removed to Jersey City,
N. J., where he continued for the remainder of his life, a successful and
skillful siirgeon and physician.

He was succeeded here by a Dr. Tuttle, who resided near Suffern,
but he remained only a year or two, not long enough to make a record.
He left and went to Illinois to practice. After him came Dr. Gerrard ?>,.
Hammond, who was reared and probably born in Westchest^^-r county,
]Sr. Y., near White Plains. He commenced his professional life for a
short time as a naval surgeon, but relinquishing it, came to Rockland
county and located fii-st at Viola, but soon after removed to Suffern. He
was a man of ability and energy, and held the confidence of the
community.

He left in 1855, when he was succeeded by Dr. A. S. Zabriskie, a
worthy successor of Dr. Wood, and who is yet somewhat in practice,

200 HISTORY OF ROCKIvAND COUNTY.

though dividing his time in service to the twin divinities, Aesculapius
aud Ceres. Dr. lianunond after leaving Suffem, went to Spring Valley,
and practiced there until his death, which occurred in 1876, at the age
of forty-eight years.

Some time in the earlier part of the "fifties" Dr. Jacob S. Wigton,
who was a graduate of the Medical Department of the University of New
York, settled in Monsey and built up a large practice. In the latter
part of his life he removed to Spring Valley, where he still retained his
former patrons in his earlier fields of practice in the county. He died
Sept. 11, 1888, being sixty years of age. He was a successful and highly
resjwcted practitioner, honest and sincere in all his relations towards his
fellow men.

In a country neighborhood a few miles south of Spring Valley called
in fonner days Scotland Hills, lived and died Dr. John Demarest, a very
excellent, kind and sympathetic man, who labored in that community
many years, probably his entire span of activity, and was no doubt
deservedly regarded by all the people in his community as their beloved
physician. He died October 8th, 1872, seventy-three years of age. Dr.
Demarest was a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
New York.

At Hempstead, near the Brick Church, lived Dr. Daniel Lake, who
had a lai'ge practice throughout the STirrounding country. Dr. Lake was
a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York,
of the class of 1828. Dr. Lake pursued dual occupations, that of an
agriculturalist and at the same time a practitioner of medicine, not an
unusual combination of vocations in the rural districts in fonner days.
He was a successful and highly respected man and merited the esteem
of his neighboi-s and clientage. He was President of the Rockland
Coimty Medical Society in 1872. He died Sept. 3, 1883, aged eighty
years, in the ripeness and fullness of a well spent life.

Dr. James J. Stephens, a well known physician of Tappan in the
latter half of the nineteenth century was of the "manor bom." His
lineage is a clear line from Jan Stephens and Lysbeth L^icas, who
were married in New York, Oct. 4th, 1673, the former of whom is
believed to have been the son of "Jan Stephensen, schoolmaster," entered
on the New York records as having two children, Jan and Paulvntic,
baptized respectively 15th November, 1643, and 1st July, 164G. After-

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL, PROFESSION. 201

wards the family name Stevensen (or son) was abreviated to Stephens.
Jan Stejjhcns and his wife, Lysbeth Lucas, had six children. The sixth
child, named Stephen, was born July 2, 1685. Stephen was the father of
Iloelof Stephens, born not lat,er than 1721. Roelof man'ied Marytie
(or Mcnsje) Campbell, and settled in Rockland county. Eight cliildren
were the issue of this union. The baptism of four are recorded in Ta2>
pan and four in Clarkstown. The seventh child, William, was born July
7th, 1757. William married Catrina Mannel (or Mennel), whose par-
ents lived at the Pond (Rockland Lake). They had five children. The
second, Johannes, boiii March 7th, 1784, near New City, married Mai*-
garet House; of this union eleven children were born, James J., the
subject of this sketch, who was born July 12, 1822, being the ninth.
(For a more detailed genealogical record see History of Rockland
Coimty by Rev. David Cole, D. D.). The foundations of the
education of young Stephens were laid in the district school.
Later he availed himself of better advantages, industriously pur-
suing the higher studies which led to his profession. At an early
age he taught school and continued in this avocation till he entered
on a preparatory course preliminary to his medical studies, which were
begun under the preceptorship of Dr. R. W. Steveusen, of Hackensack,
N. J., and in 1844 entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New
York, from which he graduated in 1846. Subsequently he spent two
winters in Bellevue Hospital. After practicing in the city for one year,
he removed (1847) to Tappan, where he began his practice, and con-
tinued without interruption until his death, a space of fifty-one yeai-s.
His practice extended over those parts of Rockland and Bergen coimties
contiguous to Tappan. Dr. Stephens was well and favorably known;
though eccentric in many ways, he had a kindly heart and was much
sought for his skill. If he neglected personal adornment it was to show
to his patients that the man and not the clothes should be the chief elinr-
acteristic of a physician. Dr. Stevens' death occurred Marcli 3rd,
1898, at the age of 76 years. The cause of death was apoplexy. lie was
twice married. His first wife, Caroline Elizabeth, daughter of Rev.
Isaac Cole, died Sept. 6th, 1863, leaving two daughters. His widow,
Catherine Josephine Van Veglit«n, of Waterford, N. Y., survives.

Among the native physicians of Rockland county who reached a
long span of life. Dr. Isaac C. Ilaring is numbered as one of the more

202 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

pre-eminent. Dr. Haring was born near Nanuet, in this county, Aug.
20, 1S2S. His parents were Sophia Demarest and Cornelius J. Ilariug.
He received his education in the public schools of Nanuet, and when
fitted for the study of medicine entered the Medical School of the New
York University, from which he graduated in 1850. He began his med-
ical studies \uider the preceptorship of Dr. Moses C. Hasbrouck, and
after graduation remained in his office for five years, practicing under
the guidance of a master hand. He then removed to Nanuet and Pearl
River, where he practiced from 1850 to 1855, when he removed to New
City, where he remained until 1865; he then removed to Clarkstown or
West Nyack, where he practiced until his death, which occurred April
16th, 1900, at the age of 72 years. Dr. Haring was regarded as a good
coimsellor and skillful in his profession. His professional life reached
the span of fifty years. During this period how niimerous have been
the instances when his step was waited for, and how much gladness
has there been when relief and health were again promised to weary suf-
fered and watchers. No wonder he is called "the beloved physician."

Of the influence of Dr. M. C. Hasbrouck in the medical profession
in this county there is no more conspicuous example than the profes-
sional life of Dr. T. Blanche Smith, who grew up imder his training.
Di'. Thomas Blanche Smith was born Nov. 27, 1835, in Grccnbush, or
as it is now called, Blauveltville, in this county. His parents were John
De Wint Smith and Eleanor C. (Blauvelt) Smith. He was educated in
Columbia College, N. Y. His medical career was early initiated, enter-
ing the office of Dr. Moses C. Hasbrouck, then practicing in Tappan,
with whom he sustained during his entire life the closest relations. Dr.
Smith graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1856
and began practice at MiddletoAvn, in this county, in conjunction with
Dr. Hasbrouck; two years later he removed to Tappan, where he prac-
ticed successfully for twelve years. Upon the death of his preceptor and
colleague, Dr. Smith removed to Nyack, where he remained, deeply
immersed in his professional practice, \mtil his death, which oceurred
five yeai-s later, on April 12tli, 1875, at the early age of thirty-nine years.
The immediate cause of his death was exposure in inclement weather
during a severe fire which occurred in Nyack, where Dr. Smith worked
enthusinstically in controlling the conflagration, which induced an attack
of pulmonary and pleuritic congestion setting in with such intensity that

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL, PROFESSION. 203

in tho short space of tlire« days his life was blotted out. At the time of
his death Dr. Smith was President of the Village of ISTyack. It is not
saying too much that o\ving' to his large mental capacity and intimate
association with a physician of the integrity and ability of Dr. M. C.
Ilasbrouck, Dr. Smith could easily stand as among the first physicians
in this county. In fact, Dr. Smith was recognized as one of the bright-
est and ablest men Eockland county ha^ produced. Well trained and
well read in medical science and practice, he had clear and concise views
at the bedside, which made Dr. Smith a chosen counsellor and advisor.
Like his preceptor and predecessor, a high standard of work was his con-
st.ant eifort, and the unity of the profession received from him his untir-
ing solicitude and support. The Medical Society of the county during
the lives of Drs. Ilasbrouck and Smith reached a higher plane of excel-
lence and usefulness than at any other period of its hi-story, and its influ-
ence upon the local profession, which is due largely to these two physi-
cians, has been of incalculable benefit in its results, which can yet be
seen in the amicable professional relationship of the physicians of our
county, especially in those parts which were more immediately under
their constant influence.

During the Civil "War Dr. Smith received an appointment as Inspec-
tor of the Sanitary Commission, Sept. 1, 1862, made by Surgeon-Gen-
eral "William A. Hammond, U. S. A., and also an appointment as exam-
ining surgeon; both these commissions lasted to the end of the war. Dr.
Smith while at Tappan resided in Washington's Headquarters. His
maiTiage took place December, 1855, to Miss Ellen C. Van Orden,
daughter of Frederick Van Orden. To this union there were five chil-
dren bom. Dr. Smith was survived by his widow, one son, W. Parker
Smith, of Spring Valley, and four daughters.

Among the large number of physicians who have come to N^yack,
built up a practice and secui'ed a reputation for medical acquirements
was Dr. George A. Mursick, who after being mustered out of the army
chose this village as his field of work.

George Andrew Mursick was bom in New York city Feb. 2Gth,
1834. His father. Captain George Andrew Mursick, who was a native
of Boston, was the son of a Venetian. The father's family for at least
two generations were residents of Venice, Italy. Dr. Mursick's father
died when the son was a boy four years of age, but his mother, who was

204 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

a liig'lily eduoated and cnltivatod woman, brought her son up, teaching
hini herself and gave him an excellent education. When Dr. Mursick
was old enough to enter upon a business career he entered a dnig store
in New York, where he developed a desire for the study of medicine.
To fulfil this puii^ose the yoimg lad entered the College of Physicians
and Siirgeons, New York city, in 1857, graduating in 1860. Dr. Jlur-
sick had a strong preference for surgery and devoted himself to this spe-
cialty. When the thunders of civil war reverberated through the coun-
try, necessitating on the part of the Government a demand for compe-
tent surgeons for the field and hospital, Dr. Mursick responded to the
patriotic call and in June, 1803, entered the Union army as acting Assis-
tant Sm-geon, U. S. A., and was assigned to active hospital duties. For
his meritorious services Dr. Mursick was promoted to be surgeon-in-
charge of the U. S. Army General Hospital at Duvall's Cliffs, Ark., in
Nov., 1864. In the same year he was appointed Medical Purveyor
of the Arkansas department of the army, and continued to fill this office
until he was mustered out of service, July 27, 1865. He was present at
many serious engagements and showed much skill and bravery.

Dr. Mursick was a skillful surgeon and an excellent operator. His
surgical training and experience, which wei-e large, made him a valu-
able counsellor. He was a man of positive opinions, which he frequently
expressed in a somewhat brusque manner. This, however, was only a
veneering; penetrate it and lieneath was found a helpful and considerate
man. Nevertheless, it is only fair to say that his jwsitive assertions and
brusqueness of manner may have led to the building of a wall which
]irevented in some degree a closer aflfilintion with the physicians of his
locality, where haniiony has l>een the keynote of professional relation-
ship for a long: time, so that any breach in its observance maiTcd the
rytlini of good fellowship which had existed under the example of its
honored leader.

Dr. Mursick wrote several medical papers of merit, but in loeal med-
ical affairs his too trenchant pen did not bring him the tribute he desired.
Yet there was nothing that looked like warfare. Simply a rivalry, car-
ried on more stiffly than had been Hie custom in this town. Dr. ]\Iur-
sick's health began to fail several months liefore his death, the disease
being diabetes. Yet he continued, when able, to attend to his practice
until a short time before his death, which occurred at his residence on

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 20S

Eemsen street on October 17, 1895, in the G2ud year of his age. He mar-
ried, May 30, 1872, in Ploasaiitville, T^. Y., Julia, ilaughier of the Rev.
Jacob AVashbnrn, a Methodist clergyman of that town. There were
three children by this imion, a daughter who died young, two sous,
George A. and William W., and the widow, who sun'ivcs.

Dr. William Gillespie Stevenson was born in Ohio, March, 1838.
His family was a scholarly one, his father being a professor in Oberlin
College, and his mother a woman of culture and refinement. One of
his sistei-s married President Patton, of Princeton College. Young
Stevenson received an excellent education and began the study of med-
icine under the preceptorship of Dr. Lewis A. Sayre, of New York,
between whom there existed a close friendship. After taking two courses
of lectures and before his gTaduation, Dr. Stevenson went to Louisville,
Ky., and from thence to Arkansas, where he fonned a business partner-
shi]i mth another young man from the same region. Their business
undertakings presented flattering prospects for success, when the
clouds of internecine strife suddenly loomed before them. Ste-
venson was a northeni man, and although he held himself entirely
aloof from political affairs, the fact of his birth and training did
not escape the attention of the people in that section of the country,
who admitted no neutrality in political matters. Because of his failure
to eulist, it was presumed he was opposed to the Southern interests.
Under such suspicions he was arrested by the Vigilance Committee and
hauled before its sittings on the charge of being an abolitionist, although
the charge agaiust him could not be proved, he narrowly escaped lynch-
ing at the hands of an infuriated mob. On the conclusion of the fan-ial
trial, he accepted the advice of a friend, who told him to put thirty miles
between himself and the town by early dawn of the next day. lie imme-
diately directed his way to Memphis, where upon stepping off the boat
he was arrested by a policeman and brought before the Vigilance Com-
mittee, who already had received infonnation of his aiTest and escape
on the previous day. The alternative was presented to liim of imme-
diate enlistment in the Southern ai-my. He accepted the offer and was
directed to the enlisting headquarters, wliere he enrolled his name in the
Second Tennessee Vols., Co. P^, and before leaving the building was
invested in a soldier's uniform. A little reflection showed him the utter
impracticability of any plan of escape, so he made up his mind to do

206 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

his duty and await his opportiiuity. Graspini;: military tactics with ease,
he was soou promoted to a scrgeaucy, shortly afterwards to a lieutcuaucy,
aud in a few months he was appointed aide-de-camp to General Beck-
enridge. lu tliis capacity he passed through the battles of Fort. Don-
aldson and Corinth, Shiloli Landing and othei^s. He was wounded at
Shiloli, but after a few days he was ordered to accompany a contingent
of wounded soldiers to Mobile, where for want of sufficient hospital
accommodations, the wounded soldiers were divided into squads and dis-
tributed to various towns, where they were mainly supported by the
^vomcn among whom they were quartered. He accompanied the contin-
gent to Selma, Ala., where he was commanded to perfonn the duties
of a surgeon. As he already had received two courses of medical lectures
iu New York, he was considered to be sufficiently competent to be a sur-
geon in the Confederacy, where there was a scarcity of medical men.
Here Dr. Stevenson was pleasantly situated. He was the officer in
charge, btit he knew the day of reckoning would soon come when he had
iHJcovered his health and the soldiers under his care had been mustered
out of service or returned to their regiments, when he saw there would
be no way of further escaping service in the rebel army. His strong
desire to get into the Federal lines was an oiimipresent one. The whole
length of the frontier line of the rebel army was strongly gi;arded, yet he
resolved upon making the attempt. So one day he rode oiit of Selma as
was his custom, biit instead of returning, he continued to ride on, meet-
ing with many difficulties and hair-breadth escapes, until finally the Fed-
eral lines were reached, where friends were f oimd who transported him to
his parents and relatives, who had received no communication from him
for more than a year. After recovering from the hardships of his en-
forced sei-vioe iu the rebel anny, Dr. Stevenson cempleted his medical
course at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, graduating in 1865, and
immediately came to Xyack, where he began practice aud resided his
whole life. Dr. Stevenson published a book entitled ''Thirteen Months
in the Eebel Army," which is a narrative of his personal adventures
(luring his service, and is a highly interesting and instructive account
of matters in the Confederacy at a period which has not had an abun-
dance of chroniclers. It is written in a vivacious style and will claim
the attention of the reader to its close. A better idea of the condition of
society in the early Confederate days may be obtained from this book
than in many more pretentious ones.

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 207

Dr. Stevenson married Mrs. Elsie Hasbrouck, who survives the death
of her husband, which occuiTed Feb. 3rd, 1888, in his 45th year. Dr.
Stevenson had a wide circle of acquaintances, and was highly respected.-
He was skillfid in his profession and possessed a competent practice.

Dr. Frank Hasbrouck, a son of Dr. Moses C. Hasbrouck, was born in
Middletown, Kockland county, in 1838. As a son of so prominent a
physician as his father, he received an education befitting his position.
He was educated at Rutger's College and entered upon the study of med-
icine under his father's guidance and in the College of Physicians and
Surgeons, New York city, from which he graduated in 1862. He began
practice under his father's supervision, and continued until his death,
which occuiTed August 28th, 1866, in the 29th year of his age.

A yoimg physician practicing under the immediate eye of his father
seldom has an opportunity of showing what metal he is made of, but
there is no reason to suppose that young Dr. Hasbrouck would have
acquitted himself otherwise than in a creditable manner. He had ali'eady
at the time of his death sho\vn himself to be a skillful practitioner. Dr.
Hasbrouck man'ied Miss Elsie DePew, of Nyack, who sur\'ives.

A descendant of a long line of New England ancestry. Dr. Charles
Whipple, one of five children of Stephen and Louisa Edgerton Whipple,
was born Oct. 9, 1815, in South Shaftsbury, Vt. His ancestry reaches
back through three generations to Captain John Whipple, who it is
stated, received a grant of land in Rhode Island in 1660, and with it a
Hcense to keep a tavern. He was also contemporary with Roger Wil-
liams, and his wife was a daughter of one of the Pilgrim Fathers.

Dr. Whipple was educated at East Bennington and Chesire, Vt.,
and subsequently entered Rensaellaer Institute, Troy, N. Y., receiv-
ing from the latter institution a diploma for civil engineering Oct.
16, 1837. In 1838 he was one of a party to survey a railroad from Utica
to Buffalo, iST. Y., and westward, but as malarial fever broke up tlic sur-
veying party, he returned to Vermont. In June, 1840, Dr. Whipple
commenced the study of medicine under the tuition of Dr. William Van
Duersene, of New Brunswick, N. J., and later entered tlie Columbian
ilcdical College, Washington, D. C, from which he gradiiated in 1842,
receiving a prize for his Thesis in Chemistry, which was publicly awarded

Dr. Whipple settled in practice in Haverstraw in the autumn of
1843; he removed to Tarrytown in 1857, where he remained two years,

208 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

when lie I'emoved to Nyack, Sept., 1859, where he died Nov. 11 of the
same year, at the age of 44 years.

Dr. Whipple was the first secretary of the Eockland County Medical
Society after its reorganization in 1S50. The reputation of Dr. Whipple
in the community wliere he had lived and practiced his profession is that
of a skillful and trustworthy practitioner, safe in counsel and respected
by his patients and acquaintances. He was an upright citizen, extending
the heneficient influence of his life upon those around him.

Dr. Whipple was active in establishing a Baptist Church in Ilavcr-
straw, but his efforts subseqiiently came to naught, as no church of that
denomination exists as a reward for his laboi"s.

He married, Sept. 11, 1845, Miss Mary C. Concklin, daughter of
Josiali Concklin, of Ramapo. A daughter married John Burke, Esq.,
of Nyack.

Of all the physicians in this county none stood deservedly in higher
estimation than the subject of this sketch, which is from the pen of his
]m]ul and friend, Dr. T. Blanche Smith (extracted from the ISTyack
Journal, Oct. 29, 1870). Moses Cantine Hasbrovick was bom at Mar-
bletown, Ulster county, N. Y., ISTov. 23rd, 1808. The rudiments of his
early education were acquired in a country school, while living and
working with his father on the farm. When about seventeen years old
he entered a dry goods store in Kingston as a clerk. The employment
was not congenial to his tastes and aspirations, and while so engaged he
^vas taken seriously ill and in his delirium begged his parents to keep
him from the store. His father decided that he should relinquish his
clerkship, and after leaving the store he entered the Greenville Academy.
His funds Avere soon expended here and having gained the elements of a
classical education he decided to begin the study of medicine with his
uncle, Dr. Matthew DeWitt, Stone Ridge, Ulster county, as his precep-
tor, a physician who was well known as a man of more than ordinary
attainments, of study, integrity and sterling common sense. There can
be no doubt that superadded to the counsels of a kind and judicious
mother, the example of his preceptor had much to do in moulding the
character and nobility of his student, for Dr. Hasbrouck would fre-
quently refer to the acts and precepts of his preceptor in medicine with
marked deference and satisfaction. After having complied with the
requirements of the law for medical education, he received a license to

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL, PROFESSION. 209

practice "physic and surgery" from tlic Herkimer Coiuity ]\[edieal
Society, April 6t.li, 1S31, and imder its warrant removed to tills county
and practiced for about four years, when he returned and graduated in
the Fail-field Medical College in 1835. He was one of the five of the
class chosen to read their Theses in public. He returned to Rockland
county and practiced a year and then went to New York city, where he
met with success, but becoming dissatisfied with city life and practice,
after eighteen months' residence returned to this county for the third
time and remained without interruption, being a busy practitioner until
his death. Probably there never lived a medical man in this county who
was better adapted to, and who more zealously prosecuted his work than
Dr. Hasbrouck. Having a sound constitution and an intellect of more
than ordinary capacity, he did an amount of professional work which to
most men would seem impracticable. As he was a busy and acute ob-
server, a ready memorizer and earnestly devoted to his profession, it Is
easy to imderstand why his experience was a valuable one, upon which
not only his juniors but seniors as well were ever ready to draw, in times
when even the self-reliant among them became perplexed and harrassed
by anxiety. It was on these occasions — when in consultation with his fel-
low practitioners — that his manliness and delicate sense of honorable deal-
ing apart from his professional acumen, was observed by all with Avliom
he came in contact. Having entered this county when the medical society
was about broken up and the few last bonds of coui-tesy and fairness
were ruptured, his naturally sensitive natvire made him keenly feel the
attempt made by the older practitioners to cnisli out his slowly but
steadily rising reputation. To one, Dr. Cornelison, he often remarked
he always gave credit for his uprightness, seemed to be the only one
willing to give him a li^dng chance for a<lvancement, and this chance
consisted on the one hand of exposure to the family of any blunders
which in Dr. Conielison's opinion he had made, but when on the other
hand the older doctor considered his practice judicious, he would invar-
iably, freely and encouragingly approve of Dr. Hasbrotick's advice and
prescription in presence of all. The pressure of this bitter and unbecom-
ing professional strife in our county during Dr. Hasbrouck's early life
led him years afterwards to aim at the restoration of hai-monious and
dignified intercourse between the medical men of this county, and it
was mainly through his exertions and personal influence that the Medi-

210 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

cal Society of our county was reorganized and made the mediiun of
reconciliation and professional advanc-ement among the medical men.
Up to the date of his illness he unceasingly labored to foster and sustain
the unanimity and usefulness of this organization and with correspond-
ing earnestness deprecated and rebuked eveiy act and actor designedly
aiming at professional discordance.

Dr. Hasbrouck was always thoroughly interested in medical progi'ess,
though his logical mind and resolute opposition to all attempts at trifling
with human life when threatened by disease, made him less ready to
accept and act upon novel views and theories trumpeted forth as pro-
gressive, than were those who promptly adopted them and who were
equally ready to pronounce him "behind the times." In this, however,
many were deceived, probably on account of his retiring and impretend-
ing manner, for no man in our county took greater pains to keep himself
informed in medicine than Dr. Hasbrouck, and none of us, had we been
called upon, wovild have surpassed him in medical and surgical knowl-
edge and skill in a competitive examination. To gain a i-epntation
within the profession where he always felt it to be most honorable and
enduring was his great aim, and in his intercourse with younger members
of the profession he advised every one to keep this object steadfastly
before him as the goal of an honorable professional reputation.

An appeal to the opinions of his peers in medicine throughout New
York city and State, where he was thoroughly known, will attest how
well he merited the elevated position accorded him, and how honorably
he attained a professional reputation so worthy of emulation by all med-
ical men.

A generation has passed since the above was penned, but if there
is any sincerity in the testimony in the tributes so affectionately paid to
Dr. Hasbrouck's memory, then truly "he lives enshrined in the hearts"
of those who knew him so well, and in their successors as well. That his
influence upon the medical profession was far reaching is evident at the
present time, and although a large majority of those who were contempo-
rary with him have passed away, yet their successoi's seem to be actuated
by the same spirit of unanimity and rectitude in their professional rela-
tionships as was manifested when the living example was here to enforce
this principle of rightness by actual precepts.

' i^i

^l^%i #5^

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL, PROFESSION. 211

It is not only among the medical profession that his memory lives,
but it is also among those who have been the recipients of his sei-vice in
some of their relationshijis that these expressions of esteem are frequently
heard and of these there have been many. Probably there is scarcely
a well known family within a radius of ten or fifteen miles of his home
wliich has not at some time sought his services, and often in the direst
extremity, and he never failed them. Thus Dr. Hasbrouck became
known from stem to stern of Rockland county and beyond its borders.
Dr. Hasbrouck seems to have been one of those men bom with the latent
"talent" of the physician within him. The cultivation of this "talent,"
health, strength and good cheer, made him the "beloved physician." Dr.
Ilasbrouck's death occurred Oct. 2Sth, 1870. He was 62 years old.

Among the older physicians of the last quarter of the century who
was well knoAvn in the southern part of the county was Dr. Charles H.
Masten, who was bom in Odelltowu, Province of Quebec, Canada, Aug.
2nd, 1839, his parents geing Cornelius and Isabel Masten. He received
his education at Clarenceville Academy, Canada, and at Fort Edward
Institute, ISTew York., and subsequently taught school in Canada. After-
wards he engaged in the study of medicine and came to ISTew York city
and entered Bellevue Hospital Medical College, graduating in due
coiu'se in 1867. Immediately after graduating Dr. Masten came to
Eockland county and opened an office in Sparkill with the late Dr. T.
Blanche Smith. Both of these physicians were skillful in their profes-
sion and met with such marked success that soon a large practice was
obtained. Three or four years later Dr. Smith moved to Nyack, while
Dr. Masten remained and continued in practice in the neighborhood of
Tappan and Sparkill for thirty-three years. A couple of years previous
to his death he removed to Nyack, where he hoped to obtain leisure and
relief from arduous work, but he was stricken with pneumonia and died
May 1st, 1902, in the 63rd year of his age.

Dr. Masten was a skillful physician, mse in judgment, clear and
comprehensive in his opinions. He possessed the confidence of his client-
age, who were spread over a large teiTitory. He possessed a wann sym-
pathy for his patients, tender and gentle in his manner, so that his
presence in the sick room endeared him to all who came in contact with
him. All who knew Dr. Masten were his friends. Failing somewhat
in vigor, Dr. Masten concluded to retire from practice and took a pleas-

212 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ant home in ISTyack, here his patients still followed him, and he was com-
pelled to a life of considerable activity until his fatal illness. By choice
lie frequently visited the Nyack Hospital, where he was one of the con-
sulting physicians, and freely gave his services for its benefit.

Dv. Masten was never maiTied. He acquired a considerable com-
petence for a physician, and bequeathed a large portion of his estate to
tlio Nyack Hospital, which erected a large and much needed addition to
this useful institution.

There have been first and last a number of physicians who have set-
tled in this county in the practice of medicine, and who for various rea-
sons have never secured a foothold or made a lasting reputation. Some
died, others moved away, or partially or entirely ceased to practice.
Some of these deserve a little notice. Some years ago Dr. Henry AV.
Iviesberg, a native of Austria, and a graduate of the New York Medical
College, practiced in Haverstraw. He has left behind him the reputa-
tion of a skillful man.

A physician by the name of Daniel F. Wemple is remembered, who
was a graduate of the University Medical College, New York city, in
1879, and who practiced a few years in Havei*straw, and then removed to
Kansas, where he has since died.

Another physician of excellent repute who lived in Haverstraw from
1835 to 1850, and perhaps longer, was Dr. Caleb H. Austen, who came
from Leno.x, Mass. He was a graduate of Yale College (Medical Depart-
ment). He married Miss Lois Patterson, a sister to the wife of
Elisha Peck, Esq., of Sansomdale. He removed to New Haven, Conn.,
where he has since died. He was a skillful physician and a scholarly
man, and numbered among his patients the wealthy and cultivated peo-
ple of the community.

Dr. Lucius D. Isham, a gi-ad^iate of the Medical Department of Yale
College in 1849, practiced for several years in Nanuet. He came from
Tolland county, Conn., and was introduced here by his friend from the
same county, Mr. David B. Loomis, principal of the Haverstraw Public
School at that time. Dr. Isham, after several years' practice, returned
to his native State. He was an excellent physician, possessed of a good
mind, and actuated by a high moral principle.

Dr. Tallman, who lived north of the English Church, practiced there
for many years and was considered a skillful physician and did much
active work in that vicinity. There is no record of his death.

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL, PROFESSION. 213

Dr. G. A. Lockwood, who practiced for a time in Eamaijo, died there
May 21, 1881, aged thirty-nine years. He is well spoken of both as a
citizen and physician.

Dr. Hardenburg Van Hoiiten, a native of Eockland county, taught
school in his native town for some time, but having more ambitious
desires than school teaching, studied medicine in the New York
Eclectic Medical College, from which he graduated in 1883. He prac-
ticed several years in Haverstraw, then moving to New City, practiced
there for two or three years, when he returned to Haverstraw, where he
died in 1898, aged 48 years.

Dr. Elmer E. Lansing, a graduate of the Albany Medical College,
practiced a few years in Haverstraw. His first field of labor was Cairo,
Egypt, to which place he returned and subsequently died, leaving a
widow and two children. Dr. Lansing was skillful in his profession and
of scholarly tastes.

Dr. George B. Swift practiced for some years in Nyack. He was a
graduate of Harvard Medical College. He was an elderly man when he
located in Nyack, and after a few 3'cars residence there died. He was
an estimable citizen and was held in equally good repute as a physician.

There lived in Piermont for a number of years two Drs. Hopson's,
father and son. Dr. James A. Hopson practiced there for some years,
mitil his death, when he was succeeded by his son. Dr. Ed. Hopson, who
practiced for a few years, then removed to one of the Western States.
They are pleasantly spoken of.

Among the physicians who were indigenous to this county was
Dr. Charles H. Ten Eyck, who was born in Nyack about 1851. He
received his early education in the public schools of his native town. He
then studied with the late Prof. Christopher R^itherford with the inten-
tion of becoming a Methodist clergyman, and had received a license to
preach, but finding the ministry unsuitable to his aspirations, he con-
eluded to study medicine, and for this purpose entered the office of Dr.
T. Blanche Smith, as his preceptor. In due course he entered tlie Col-
lege of Physician's, New York city, and graduated in 1874. He entered
upon the practice of medicine at Nyack, which he continued for a time,
when he removed to New York city. Dr. Ten Eyck is credited with
attending in confinement the first Chinese woman delivered of a child
in New York city. In 1894 or .5, his health becoming impaired, he

.214 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

returned to Nyack where he died in the early months of 1900, at the age
of 49 years. Dr. Ten Eyck was a pleasant gentleman, credited with skill
in his profession, and won the confidence of his patients.

In the third decade of the nineteenth century there practiced in
Ilavei-straw a Dr. Lee for a time; also a Dr. Lapham, who had lost an
arm. The latter physician belonged to the Eclectic school of medicine.

There lived for many years in Nyack Dr. Benjamin Davidson, who
died Feb. 25th, 1886, in the sixty-third year of his age. Dr. Davidson
was a gentleman highly resi>ected by all who knew him. His kindly
and cheering disposition encircled him with many friends. His skill as
a physician and solicitude for his patients ai'e remembered by many who
have been the recipients of liis services.

At the present writing (1902) Rockland county has within its bor-
ders thirty-five physicians. A brief notice so far as possible of the pres-
ent medical population will be of interest.

Dr. George A. Leitner, of Piermont, was born in his native village
Sept. 14, 1865. He was a son of John and Christina Leitner, and
received his education at the public schools of Piei-mont and at St. John's
College, Fordham, where he received in due course the degrees of A. B.
A. ]M. He gTaduated in medicine from Bellevue Hospital Medical Col-
lege March 12th, 1888. His service as interne in St. Francis' Hospital
in New York city extendetl during the years of 1888 and 1889. He is
attending physician to St. Joseph's Asylum, Blauvelt, IST. Y. ; St. Agnes'
Asylum, Sparkill, N. Y., and attending physician and surgeon to the
Xyack Hospital. Dr. Leitner has practiced in Piermont and vicinity
since Janiiary, 1890. He was elected coroner in 1892 and has been
Health Officer of Orangetown since 1891. He is a member of the Rock-
land County and State Medical Associations and American Medical Asso-
ciation. He married, in 1894, Miss Maude Caiwillo, of Grand View, and
three children have been born, Charles, Bertrand and Elizabeth.

Dr. Jacob Cutwater Polhemus, the oldest physician of Nyack, was
born at Clarkstown, 1834, son of Dr. John and Eliza Cutwater Polhe-
mus. He received his early education in the Academy at Tappan and
subsequently under the instruction of Rev. Dr. Penny, of Nyack. He
was afterward sent to the Irving Institute at Tari-ytown for two years
and then to Rutgers College, where he gi-adnated in 1854. Dr. Pol-
hemus began the study of medicine under the guidance of his father and

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 215

afterwards entered the office of Dr. Willard Parker, of !N^ew York. He
graduated from the College of Physicians and Snrgeons in 1859. He
began practice in C'larkstown, where he remained five years, and then
removed to Nyack, where he has since resided. He is a pennanent mem-
ber of the New York State Medical Society and attending physician and
surgeon to the Nyack Hospital. He is a member of the Eockland County
and New York State Medical Associations. He married Miss Christina
Smith, daughter of Gen. David D. Smith, of Nyack, and they have three
sons.

Dr. GeiTit F. Blaiivelt, of Nyack, was bom in Orangeburg Aug. 1,
1849, son of Cornelius G. and Ann M. Blauvelt. He was educated in
New York city, graduating from the College of City of New York, A. B.,
1868. In medicine Dr. Blauvelt graduated from the College of Physi-
cians and Sui'geons in 1873, and was house physician of Roosevelt Hos-
pital 1873 and 1874. He practiced in New York city two years and
then removed to Nyack, where he has since continued in practice. He
was surgeon to the Outdoor Department of New York Hospital 1870
to 1878, and is visiting surgeon and physician to the Nyack Hospital,
and is President of the Rockland County Medical Association. Dr.
Blauvelt married Miss Julia F. Dederer. There are no children.

Dr. Edward H. Maynard, of Nyack, was born near Cazenovia, Mad-
ison county, Feb. 4, 1850, the son of a retired farmer. He received Iiis
education in his native town and at the Cazenovia Seminary. He grad-
uated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York city, in
1873, and served as interne in Bellevue Hospital in 1875. He entered
upon practice in Nyack with Dr. J. O. Polhemus, with whom he
remained for five years, when he opened a separate office in the same
village. He is attending physician and surgeon at the Nyack Hos-
pital and is a member of the Rockland Coimty and New York State
Medical Associations. Dr. Maynard was Water Commissioner for
several years and member of the Board of Education for the Village of
Nyack. He married, in 1878, Miss Elsie De R. Morford, of Cazeno^aa,
and they have one son and one daughter.

Dr. Charles Demarest Kline, of Nyack, was bom in Bilauvelt, N. Y.,
Nov. 13, 1866, son of Michael and Maria C. Kline. He received his
education in the Nyack Public and High Schools. He graduated in
medicine from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, in

216 HISTORY OF ROCKL,AND COUNTY.

1892, and afterwards served as interne in St. Francis' Hospital, Xew
York city. lie came to Nyack in 1894 and entered npon tlic practice
of medicine witli Dr. J. O. Polliemus, with whom he remained for five
years, when he opened a separate office. He is attending physician
and surgeon to the Nyack Hospital and is also its treasurer. He
is Health Officer of !Nyack. He is a member and one of the Fellows of
the Eockland Coimty and the Xew York State Medical Associations.
He married Miss Charita J. Hall, of New York. There arc no
children.

Dr. Samuel William Spencer Toms, of Nyack, was born in Elyria,
Ohio, Dec. 11, 1861, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Spencer Toms. He
received his education in the schools of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. He
graduated from the School of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, 1882,
and from the University of BufPalo (Medical Department) 1891, and
served as hospital physician in Buffalo General Hospital in 1892. He
entered upon practice at Bellport, Suffolk county. Long Island, for four
years, when he removed to Nyack, in 1898, where he has since resided.
He is an Instructor in the Post Granduate Medical School and Hospital,
New York, since 1899, member of visiting staff of the Nyack Hospital,
Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and member and Fel-
low of the Rockland County and New York State Medical Associations
and American Medical Association. He manned, in 1894, Miss Eliza-
beth Bodell Orr, and they have one son.

Dr. John C. Slawson, of Nyack, gradviated from the New York
University in 1898, and settled in practice in Nyack in 1000.

Dr. John Willington Sansom, of Pionnont, graduated at the Univer-
sity of Vermont 1895 and settled in Piennont in 1900.

The Nestor of physicians in Rockland county is Dr. Albert S.
Zabriskie, of Suffern, who was born at Paramus, Bergen county, N. J.,
May 6, 1830, son of Stephen and Sarah Westervelt Zabriskie. He
received his early education in the district school of his town, and later
under the instruction of the Hon. Jacob R. Wortcndyke. He graduated
with the degree of A. B. from the University of New York city in 18.51.
He graduated in medicine from the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
New York city, in 1855. He began the practice of medicine in Mahwali
the same year, subsequently removing to Suffern, where ho has since
resided. He mamed, in 1850, Miss Elizabeth Winter, of Mahwah, who

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 217

died in 1860, without issue. On Dee. 31, 1861, he maiTied Miss Maria
C. Wanamaker. Three chikh-en have been born to them, Mary S., Cath-
erine and Eleanor.

Dr. Sylvester Demarest, of Suffern, gradiiated from Bellevue Hos-
pital Medical College in 1885. He is a member of the Rockland County
Medical Society.

Dr. Daniel Burr Van Wagonen, of Suffern, was bom in Spring Val-
ley, April 10, 1859, son of William and Mary M. Burr Van Wagonen.
He received his eai'ly education in the public schools of his native vil-
lage and his classical education from Dr. A. S. Zabriskie, of Suffern.
He graduated in medicine from the University of Vennont in 1884; also
graduated in pharmacy in New Jersey. He was house physician in the
old Chambers Street Hospital in New York, for one year. Dr. Van
Wagonen began his practice in Sloatsburgh in 1884. The follo-n-ing
year he removed to Closter, X. J., where he practiced one year, and then
returned to Suffern. In 1887 he went to Binningham, Ala., but
returned after a short period to Suffern, where be has since resided. He
has been surgeon to the Erie li. R. for ten years, is attending physician
to the Rockland County Alms House and is also attending surgeon to the
Ramapo Car Works and the Ramapo Iron Works. He is Health Officer
for the town of Ramapo and the village of Hillburn. He is a member
of the New York State Medical Association, tlie Anu-rican Medical Asso-
ciation, and vice president of the Rockland County Medical Asso-
ciation. He married Miss Emma Sloat in 1889. They have two chil-
dren (girls).

Dr. Benjamin Van Ett«n Dolph, of Suffern, was graduat,ed from the
Medical Department of the Syracuse University in 1899 and settled in
Suffern in 1900.

Dr. Albert O. Eogert, of Spring Valley, graduated in the College
of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, 1875, and settled in practice in
Spring Valley, where he has since resided. He is a member of the Rock-
land Coimty Medical Society and visiting physician to St. Agatha Home.
He is married.

Dr. Wilhelm II. Keller, of Spring Valley, is a graduate of the New
York ITniversity, 1889. He practiced for a time in Bayonne, N. J., sub-
sequently in Stony Point, N. Y., and Spring Valley.

218 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Dr. Frank E. Pagett, of Spring Valley, was bom May 27th, 1873,
at Spring Valley, N. Y., son of Henry L. and II. Matilda Pagett. He
received his education at the Spring Valley Union Free School and grad-
uated in medicine from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Now
York city, in 189G, and subsequently attended at the dispensai-y service
in the Dispensary of the Roosevelt out patient department and Vander-
bilt Clinic. He settled in Spring Valley in 1897, in practice, and is also
an assistant in the Aural Clijiic New York Ear and Eye Dispensary and
Hospital, New York city; also surgeon to the Erie R. R. and visiting
physician to the Alms House. He is a member of the Rockland County
Medical and the New York State Medical Associations. He married
Miss Elizabeth Pitts, of Haverstraw. They have two children.

Dr. N. B. Van Houten, of New City, who has practiced in New City
for many years, is a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
New York, 1867.

Dr. James Alva Dingman was born in Prince Edward county,
Ontario, Canada, Jime 22nd, 1848. He was the son of Joseph and Maria
Dingman. He was educated at the Belleville Methodist College, Belle-
ville, Ontario, Canada, and graduated in medicine from the Eclectic Med-
ical College, Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduation he had hos2:)ital service
and then entered vipon private practice in Florence, Oneida Co., N. Y.,
where he remained three years, when he became house physician for one
year at "Our Home on the Hillside," a sanitarium in Dannisville, Tom-
kins coimty. He then removed to Spring Valley, where he has remained
for the past twenty-six years. He is a member of the Rockland County
and New York State Medical Associations. Dr. Dingman married Miss
Nellie C. Burnely, of Patei-son, N. J. They have had twelve children,
ten of whom are living. The two oldest sons are students in the College
of Physicians and Surgeons (Columbia), New York city.

Dr. John Sengstacken, of Stony Point, was born Nov. 7, 18G2, in
New York city, a son of John and Catherine Sengstacken. He received
his education in the public schools of New York city, and graduated in
medicine from the University ^Medical College, New York city, 18S9,
and had private practice under Dr. William M. Polk, New York city.
He practiced under Dr. William Y. Keeler, New York, a few months
and then came to Stony Point, where he has since resided. He has held
the offices of coroner, member of Board of Education, Health Officer,

JOHN ilABIE IIASBROUCK, M.D.

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 219

ten years, and trustee of tlie ]\Ietliodist Clmrch. He is a memljer and
secretary of the Rockland County Medical Society. He married ^liss
Florence Couch and they have two sons, Florence B. and Royal F.

Dr. Isaac S. Vreeland, of Stony Point, was graduated from the Uni-
versity Medical College of I^ew York in 1876. He has practiced in
Waverly, N". Y., and removed to Stony Point in 1899. He is married.

Dr. JSTonnan Brigham Bayley, of Haverstraw, was born Sept. 17th,
1847, in Mansiield, Conn., son of Joshua and Andalusia (Merrick) Bay-
ley. He received his early education in the district schools of his native
town and under the instruction of his father, and later was prepared for
college in a private school in his native town. He graduated from the
Medical Department of Yale University July 11, 1871. He sensed the
following ye-ar as house physician in the Connecticut State Hospital,
l^ew Haven, Conn., and subsequently in the Out Door Department of
Bellevue Hospital, New York city. He practiced a short time in Sey-
mour, Conn., then removed to Brewster, Putnam county, ]^. Y., where he
remained until 1883. He pursued a post graduate course in the
New York Policlinic School and Hospital and the New York Eye and
Ear Infinnary, and in 1885 removed to Haverstraw, where he has since
continued in practice. He was Health Officer for several years. He is
secretary and treasurer of the Rockland County Medical Association and
member of the New York State and American Medical Associations,
and also of the Yale Alumni Medical Society. He married, in 1872,
iliss Etta Hemion, of Preakness, N. J. They have no children living.

Dr. John Mabie Hasbrouck, of West Haverstraw, was born at Port
Ewen, Ulster county, Oct. 22, 1862, a son of Dr. Josiali and Ellen J.
Blauvelt Hasbrouck. He received his education in the public schools
and graduated from the Rockland Institute, Nyack, N. Y. He studied
at both the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, and Belle-
vue Hospital ]\[edical College, New York, receiving his diploma from
the latter institution in 1864. He served six months in the Ambulance
Department of Bellevue Hospital. He came to West Haverstraw in
September, 1884, where he has since remained. He is a member and
treasurer of the Rockland County Medical Society. He has been trus-
tee and President of the village of West Haver.straw for a period of
twelve years. He was treasurer of Rockland county for three years.
He is unmarried.

220 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Dr. John Howard Crosby, of Ilaverstraw, was born in London, Eng.,
April 17tli, 1873. He was educated in the public schools of Yannontli,
Nova Scotia. He graduated in medicine from Long Island College Hos-
pital, Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1895. He served two years at the New Jersey
State Hospital, Morris Plains, N. J., and two years at the Manhattan
State Hospital, Ward's Island, New York city. He came to Haverstraw
in 1899, where he has since resided. He belongs to the Rockland
County and the New York State Medical Associations. He married
Miss Catherine Eose. They have no children.

Dr. Samuel Sherwell Carter, of Haverstraw, was bom in Denipsey
township, Venango county. Pa., May 27th, 1869. He received his edu-
cation at Grove City College, Pa. His medical education was obtained
at the Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, N. Y'"., graduating in
1895. He immediately began practice in Ashland, Green county, N. Y.,
where he was elected coroner. He removed to Haverstraw in 1898. He
is unmarried.

Dr. Eugene B. Laird, of Haverstraw, was born in New York city in
1855. He received his education in the public and grammar schools of
New York city and the New York Free College. He graduated in med-
icine from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York city, in
1877. He had hospital work for two years and then engaged in practice
in Brooklyn for two years and also a short time in Monmouth county,
N. J., and came to Haverstraw in 1881. He has held the position of cor-
oner and pension examiner and is Health Officer of the town and village,
also president of the Eockland County Medical Society. He married, in
1879, Miss Clayton, of Long Branch, N. J. They have five children.

Dr. Virginia M. Davis, of Congers, is a graduate of the Woman's
Medical College, New York city, of the class of 1886. She is married
and has several children.

Dr. John M. Gillette, of Sloatsburg, is a graduate of the New York
University Medical College, New York city, of 1892.

Dr. Eobert E. Felter, of Pearl Eiver, is a graduate of the New York
University Medical College of New York city, 1894. He served one
term as school commissioner of Eockland county.

Dr. Louis Bradford Couch, of Nyack, is a graduate of the New York
Homeopathic College, 1874, and also of the New York Ophthalmic Hos-
]iital. He is a member of the American Institute of Homeopatliy. He
married IMiss Natalie Kreuder. They have three children.

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL, PROFESSION. 221

Dr. J. William Giles, of Nyack, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, April
3rd, 1862, and received his education in the pnlilic schools of Xew York
city and Leuderbach Academy, West Philadelphia, Pa. lie i;raduated
in medicine from the Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa.,
in 1885. Subsequent to his graduation he was resident physician Chil-
dren's Homeopathic Hospital, Philadelphia, Demonstrator of Suri;ery,
Hahnemann's Medical College, Philadelphia, and sui'geon to the Chil-
dren's Homeopathic Hospital and Camden Homeopathic Hospital. He
practiced in Philadelphia until 1890. Since that time in Nyack. He is
married, his wife being Miss Henrietta Peck. They have three children,
Vincent Avery, Estelle and Chauncey.

Dr. Sylvester Straut Bogert, of Pearl River, was born in Pearl River
September 23rd, 1844, the son of David N. and Phoebe A. Bogert. He
received his education in the public school of Orangetown and graduated
in medicine from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York,
1865. He practiced medicine in New York city for nearly thirty-six
yeare and removed to Pearl River November, 1901. He ha^ held the
following positions: House Physician to East^ern Dispensaiy, New
York, attending physician to New York Dispensary, surgeon to the Met-
ropolitan Street Railway Co. He is married.

Dr. Gertmde Hammond Harper, of Spring Valley, was born near
Wurzburg, Bavaria, Germany, 1834, the daughter of Nicholas and
Margareth Hummel. She received her education at Vienna, Austria.
She graduated in medicine from the New York Medical College and
Hospital for Women in 1867, and has practiced since her graduation at
Spring Valley. She has been lecturer and essayist at St. Mark's Litei'ary
Society, New York city. She is a widow and has one son

Dr. T. C. Wood, of Haverstraw, was born in Rockaway, N. J., in
1853. He received his education in the Medical Department of the New
York University in 1879. He has practiced in Haverstraw since that
date, with the exception of four years, when he practiced in New York
city. He can-ies on a drug store in connection with his pi'actice.

Perhaps there is no other test more significant of scientific zeal and
love for the profession of medicine than membership in medical asso-
ciations. Some men have the faculty for searching into the ditficult and
the capability of studying the results of experimentation ; others can note
with precision Nature's phenomena and make useful deductions, while

222 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

others can bring all these departments of knowledge together, correlate
the factors having cognate relationslui> and deduce the practical appli-
cation for everyday use. In the medical associations all these workers
bring their harvest, where the winnowing process sifts the wheat and
blows the chaff away. Medical societies are of rather recent growth. In
the earlier and sparsely inhabited portions of a new country — such as oure
was — the practical application of knowledge must be at first hand. The
study of any science, requiring time, leisure and money, must wait until
the culture and wealth makes such conditions possible. In the earlier
Colonial days the fewness of physicians, the long distances intervening
between them, made insuperable obstacles to medical association. The
first coiinty medical society formed in this country was about one cen-
tury ago, in Litchfield county. Conn. It is therefore no wonder that one
hundred years elapsed after the first settlement of a physician in this
county before steps were taken to bring physicians into closer relation-
ship. The first record of the formation of a medical society in Rockland
coiinty was in 1829. Dr. Abram Cornelison, of Clarkstown, was its firet
president and Dr. Abram DuBois Cornelison, of Haverstraw, its first
secretary.

The society does not seem to have flourished and after a few years
of disconcerted effort, it fell into decadence. The records of the society
are lost, but Dr. John Polhemiis, of Clarkstown, was during its contin-
uance, at different times, both its president and secretary. It is not now
kno\vTi who were its members, aside from the names above noted.

Subsequently, in 1850, the old society was resuscitated, with Dr.
John Demarest, of Spring Valley, as president. Dr. M. C. Hasbrouck,
of Nyack, vice president; Dr. Charles Whipple, Haverstraw, secretaiy;
Daniel R. Reeves, Clarkstown, treasurer. There were present at the
reorganization of the society Dr. John Demarest, Dr. M. C. Hasbrouck,
Dr. Charles Whipple, Dr. Daniel R. Reeves, Dr. Spenser S. Sloat, Dr.
James A. Hopson, Dr. Isaac C. Haring, Dr. James J. Stephens, Dr.
Jacob S. Wigton, Dr. Lucius Isham, Dr. John Perdue and Dr. Charles
Hasbrouck, of New Jersey, a goodly number. Since its reorganization
the society has periodicallj' flourished, having its ebb and flow tides, but
on tlic whole doing fair work for a period of thirty years, when it again
fell into a lethargic condition. Since 1880 little attention has been paid
to the society by the medical profession of the county. Its meetings

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 223

have been held irregularly, scarcely any scientific work has been
attempted, and judging from the secretary's i-ather scanty records more
attention has been paid to charges against its members for violation of
the "code of ethics" than to medical discussion. That there has been
little interest manifested in the welfare of the society is expressed in the
fact that tliei'o has bt^en no change in its chairman for twenty years.
The following physicians have been at some time members of the Rock-
land County Society since 1850, in addition to those above named:

Urs. Daniel Lake, C. H. Austin, Bernard O'Blenis, G. J. Hammond,
William Govan, T. B. Smith, William S. House, Benjamin Davidson,
J. 0. Polhemus, H. H. House, Henry Eeisberg, C. H. Mastcn, Frank
Hasbroiick, Rykman U. Bogert, C. H. Neer, John Sullivan, J. Hcng-
gler, J. W. Swift, George A. Mursick, C. L. Humphrey, W. S. Steven-
son, Isaac J. Wells, George 0. Lockwood, iST. B. Van Houtcn, E. H.
Maynard,* C. H. Ten Eyck, Albert O. Bogert,* Dr. Gerrit F. Blauvelt,*

E. B. Laird,* Daniel Wemple, T. C. Wood, Frank Lavassur, J. M. Has-
brouck,* John Sengstacken,* Sylvester Demarcst,* William H. Keller,*

F. E. Pagett,* B. V. Dolph. Secretary, Dr. John Sengstacken; Treas-
urer, D. J. M. Hasbrouck.

Just recently this society has shown new signs of activity. The
present membership is a small proportion of the profession in the county.
The following members have been president of the society since 1850:
Dr. John Demarest, 1850-1853; Dr. Caleb H. Austin, 1854; Dr. John
Perdue, 1855; Dr. J. C. Haring, 1856-1859; Dr. John Demarcst,
1860-1861; Dr. Moses C. Hasbrouck, 1862-65; Dr. Spenser S. Sloat,
1866-1867; Dr. T. Blanche Smith, 1868-1869; Dr. Jacob S. AVigton,
1870-1871; Dr. Daniel Lake, 1872; Dr. William Govan, 1873; Dr. J.
O. Polhemus, 1874; Dr. C. H. Masten, 1875 and 1880; Dr. James J.
Stephens, 1876 and 1877; Dr. James A. Hopson, 1878; Dr. Edward H.
Maynard, 1879; Dr. Gerrit F. Blauvelt, 1881; Dr. A. O. Bogert, 1882;
Dr. E. B. Laird, 1883-1902.

Owing to the decadence of the Rockland County Medical Society,
the medical profession of the county felt the need of a new and active
society which should harmonize and stimulate to greater scientitic zeal
the physicians of the county. With this end in view and with the aid of
the New York State Medical Association, an organization was effected in

* Inidioalte those who have beiein, members in the laislt five years.

224 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

September, 1901, at Nyack, called the Rockland County Medical Asso-
ciation, which is iu afHliatiou with the American Medical Association,
and which has shown an enthusiasm which betokens for the future a
career of activity and usefulness. At its meetings, which are held at
least quarterly, most excellent papers and discussions have been given,
which have excited a lively interest and are of permanent value. It
comprises among its members many of the prominent physicians of the
county, who have had large experience in hospital and private practice
and includes all the physicians connected with the Nyack Hospital. The
president of the society is Dr. Gerrit F. Blauvelt, Nyack, 1901 and 1902;
vice president, Dr. D. Burr Van Wagonen; secretary and treasurer. Dr.
N. B. Bayley; Fellows to the State Association, Dr. S. W. S. Toms,
alternate. Dr. Charles D. Kline. The following are its membership:
Dr. George A. Leitner, Dr. S. W. S. Toms, Dr. Gen-it F. Blauvelt, Dr.
John O. Polhemus, Dr. Edward H. Maynard, Dr. Charles D. Kline,
Dr. John C. Slawsou, Dr. John W. Sansom, Dr. James A. Dinginan,
Dr. F. E. Pagett, Dr. D. Burr Van Wagonen, Dr. N. B. Bayley, Dr. S.
S. Carter, Dr. J. Howard Crosby, Dr. Robert R. Felter.

There have doubtless been many who have practiced the healing art
of whom we have no record, or merely that of their names, who have
passed away. They have lived, they labored as no other men except
physicians ever will labor, they died. Yet though the names of these
simple country physicians be foi'gotten, their work lives. It is through
these earnest men that Medicine has advanced, ceased to be a theory
and has Wcome a science. They have mot pestilence and from their
battle %vith it has arisen the science of quarantine and preventitive
medicine.

They have seen the agony produced by the knife, and to alleviate it
discovered anaesthesia; with it the perils of childbirth have been over-
come and its pains diminished. Bacteriology has been elevated to a sci-
ence; asepsis has been transferred from a flattering theory to a hard,
stern fact, which every surgeon is practicing today, recovering the health
and saving the lives of multitudes. Thus the science and art of medicine
is rearing its citadel to Heaven, having but one object in view, not gain,
not power, not principalities, but simply to relieve the sufferings of man-
kind.

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 225

There is uo better exeniplificatiou of that Christian ethic '"Love thy
neighbors as thy self" and the advancement of Christian civilization than
the foundation of hospitals and institutions for the care of those who
have been so imfortiuiate as to suffer from disease, deformity, injury or
the want of parental care.

There is nothing more impressive in our present civilization, when
compared with former times, than the number and mag"nificence of these
beneficiary institutions, whose beneficence like mercy

" dpoppeth as the g-entle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneaith, it is twice blest.

It blesseth him thoA gives and him that takes."

(Merchant of Vendee) .

There are but few towns of five thousand inhabitants today which
does not have its hospital. In the work of a hospital the physicians and
nurses are the creators and dispensers of its benefits. Hospitals are the
training schools for physicians and nurses, institutions where ordei'ly care,
systematic treatment and scientific investigations can go hand in hand.
Without these institutions no progress worthy of the name would have
been made in medical science; the great discoveries and advancement in
surgical technique and treatment which would never have been dreamed
of — diagnosis, pathology and treatment would have remained theoretical
guesswork. The benefits which acciiie to the people of any town which
supports a hospital are of a double nature; while the poor and indigent
are systematically receiving scientific treatment, the experience and
knowledge gained thereby is reflected in the scientific care and treatment
which the general public receives from such physicians and nurses, who
have opportunities for the perfection of methods and means in the appli-
cation of the art of the practice of medical and surgical technics.

TJie project of estaldishing a hospital in Nyack was slowly developed;
physicians from time to time when some peculiar case arose which de-
manded hospital treatment, would discuss the practicability of founding
such an institution and talk the matter over with their friends. Finally,
in 1891, it was formally decided to work for a hospital and progress was
made so far that on December 22nd, 1894, a certificate of incorporation
was executed, with twenty gentlemen of Nyack named as incorporators,
of whom six were physicians. As the Hospital will be historically con-
sidered under its appropriate head, the medical aspects are only dealt
with here. The Hospital was finished and opened for the reception of

226 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

patients on January 1st, 1000. The Hospital LuilJings arc simple but
pleasing in design and are so built as to admit easily of additions. The
internal arrangements are equally well planned, the hard and smooth
walls present a pleasing appearance and aiford fewer breeding places for
infectious germs and give a facility for cleanliness. The medical and
surgical armamentarium has been carefully selected and is of modern re-
quirements. But more important than all else is the high standard aimed
at in the quality and character of the work performed; in these respects
the Nyack Hospital does not suffer in comparison with the large metro-
politan hospitals.. A brief summary of the work from the date of its
opening to Oct. 1, 1901, is appended. There have been a total of
one hundred and seventy-two patients treated in its wards, of which num-
ber one hundred and thirty-six recovered; nineteen improved: two unim-
proved, and fifteen deaths. There have further been treated sixty-one
patients free in the Dispensary. There have been perfonned one hun-
dred and twenty-seven operations, embracing a wide diversity in charac-
ter and pathology. The larger proportion of cases are surgical, as med-
ical cases can, if necessary, be cared for at home. The following
members of the medical profession compose the medical and surgical
staff of the Nyack Hospital: Dr. J. 0. Polhemus, Dr. Gamt F. Blau-
velt. Dr. Edward H. Maynard, Dr. Charles D. Kline, Dr. George A.
Leitner, Dr. S. W. S. Toms, Dr. AV. C. McKceby (removed from Xy-
ack); Dr. Charles H. Masten consulting physician until his death; Dr.
Frank Hartly, New York city, consulting surgeon ; Dr. George M. Ede-
bolils, of J^ew York city, consulting gyneologist; Dr. Edward L. Oat-
men, New York city, consulting ophthalmologist; Superintendent, Miss
Gertiiide Montfort.

Dr. Charles H. Masten, who had been actively identified in the
workings of the Hospital, died May 1, 1902. He left a legacy to the
Hospital of about $20,000, which will erect a much needed addition to
the building and increase manyfold its beneficent influence. In be-
queathing this legacy to the Nyack Hospital Dr. Masten has erected a
lasting monument to his memory, and in thus peii^etuating the good
which he did in his life by providing means for caiTying it on after death
he has well made himself the "beloved physician."

There are as yet no other hospitals in Rockland county. There are
institutes for the caxe and treatment of oi^phaus, under ecclesiastical con-

ROCKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL PROFESSION. 227

trol, but as they are not public institutions they will be treated under
their respective heads.

Early in the Revolution after the disastrous battle of Long Island,
the amiy hospital was removed to Tappan. The medical staff consisted
of William Shippen, Chief Physician of the Flying Camp ; Isaac Foster,
Department Director General; Arnni R. Cutler, Physician General of
the Hospital; Philip Turner, Surgeon General of the Hospital; William
Burritt, Physician and Surgeon General of the Army. Besides these
were Surgeon Van der Weyde, who with George Clinton escaped capture
after the surrender of Fort Clinton by swimming across the Hudson
river, and Dr. James Thatcher, whose "Military Diary" has preserved
many of the events of the War of Independence for us. (Greene's His-
tory Rockland Co.).

The dental profession is closely allied to the medical. In fact, it is a
specialty of the medical profession, but has been separated from it to
some extent, as the special training of dentists is conducted separately
from that for medical students, as the latter requires a large amoimt of
study which has but little value to the former. In former times the sur-
gical part of dental work was perfonned by physicians, but the mechani-
cal part has always been peculiarly his own field, and is not encroached
upon by the physician or surg'eon.

As the number of dentists in this county is too few for any organized
society there has never been any record of the first one who practiced this
specialty. The earlier dentists were probably those who learned tlieir art
by serving an apprenticeship until a sufficient mastery of their work was
olitained. Thei-e have been many excellent dentists who learned their
art in this manner, as was the custom in fonner times for physicians.

Of the eai'lier dentists who practiced in this county mention may be
made of Dr. Miles Davenport, who practic-ed for a time in Haverstraw,
but mostly in Nyack, and Dr. George Wright Davenport, who practiced
in Xyack until 1875. He was a graduate of the Baltimore College of
Dental Surgery in 1861.

Dr. H. C. Gilchrest, of jSTyack, began his dental study under Dr.
George Wright Davenport, and afterwards entering the Pennsylvania
Dental College, Philadelphia, Pa., graduated in 1871. Dr. J. T. Gil-
chrest, son of Dr. H. C. Gilchrest, began his dental study under his

228 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

father's guidance, afterwards entering the New York College of Den-
tistry, graduating in 1895. The two Dr. Gilchrests reside and practice
in Nyack.

The list of dentists in Rockland county at present so far as can be
obtained are as follows: James E. Blauvelt, Nyack; K. H. Murrav,
Nyack; G. S. Writer, D. D. S., Nyack; H. G. Gilchrest, D. D. S.,
Nyack; J. T. Gilchrest, D. D. S., Nyack; George F. Appleton, M. D.,
Haverstraw; Emilio Vincent Marquez, D. D. S., Haverstraw; H. Van-
derbilt, D. D. S., Suffem.

Dr. John E. Crawford, who practiced dentistry in Haverstraw iov
several years, died in 1890 and is survived by a widow and son.

Dr. George F. Appleton practiced medicine at one time in Haver-
straw and New City. He is a graduate of the Bellevue Hospital Medical
College, 1877. He gave up the practice of medicine and entered into
the dental practice a few years ago and is located in Haverstraw.

Dr. Emilio Vincent Marquez is a gTaduate of the Philadelphia Den-
tal College, 1876, and has practiced dentistry in Haverstraw since 188G.

BENCH AND BAR. 229

CHAPTEE XV.
BENCH AND BAE.

By Hon. .\lonzo Wheeler.

Tlio task of gathering sufficient information and reliable data upon
which to prepare an authentic and interesting history of the Bench and
Bar of Eockland county has been attended with many difficulties. And
one of the things which has hindered and delayed its preparation is the
strange reluctance on the part of many of the lawyers now in practice
and the relatives and descendants of those of former years to impart
the knowledge necessary for the construction of an entirely accurate
and satisfactory account.

The writer has found this work of preparation an exceedingly con-
genial employment and has striven to overcome the obstacles which have
from time to time arisen.

In the accomplishment of this work he has, as it were, established
most cordial relations with the men of the past, whose learning and dig-
nity upon the Bench and at the Bar excite the admiration, whose intog-
rity compels the respect of all who have cared to look into that past, and
whose simplicity of life and manner give to the record a charm that it is
delightful to contemplate.

And in the gathering of details the consideration of the nearer past
has brought to the memory of the writer many who in that time, the
time of his youth, were the best known and most eminent in the profes-
sion with which this article is to deal ; who in that day were looked upon
by the youth and the common people a.s prodigies of learning and legal
skill, who have long .since passed from the activities in which they were
then engaged, and have been succeeded by a host of others more active,
more aggressive, many of whom have in their day enjoyed reputations
of which they were justly proud, and many of whom live to-day engaged
in the never ending struggle for supremacy. For it is a feature of the
legal profession that it presents possibilities of preferment, of honor and
of fame, of responsibility and power, which appeal to the honorable ambi-
tion tliorebv incited, with ereator force often than does the nocessitv for

230 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

bread. And yet -with many it is alwaj-s and only a struggle for bi-ead,
for bare maintenance, and is continually a life of discouragement and
failure.

While the territorial area of Rockland coimty is small, and by com-
parison with other counties the number of its lawyers is also small, yet
its record for the character, ability and success of the local Bar will com-
pare favorably with that of most of the counties of the State.

Indeed, Rockland county may justly boast of its eminent lawyers
and of many of its able judges, whose names have become prominent,
not only in the practice of law, l)Ut in various other departments of pub-
lic life. While in its earlier history its population was small, and the
modest and easily satisfied wants of its inhabitants tended to the peaceful
settlement of controversies, and tlie luxury of litigation in the courts
was comparatively unknown, yet for half a century or more its general
development and growth, its increase of population and multiplication
of business interests have been rapid and marked, and the adjustment
of property rights, and the protection and enforcement of personal and
contract obligations, have created the necessity for that high order of
legal talent which reflects honor upon the coiinty, and which has pre-
sented prominently before the people, not only of the county, Init of the
State and nation, the names of men whom any genei-ation and jurisdic-
tion might delight to honor.

The legal battles which have been waged in Rockland county have, ,
for the most part, been fought in the old Court House at New City. The
establishment of the county seat at New City was due to causes which to
the reflective and discerning mind will become at once apparent. First,
at the time of its selection there were no railroads, and as all persons
going there were compelled to drive, it was as easily accessible from all
parts of the county as any other place that might have been chosen. Sec-
ond, and principally, because the land was conveyed in trust for public
])nrposes and was in the nature of a gift to the county, for we liml tlie

interesting record in the County Clerk's oflice that one Gerow

in the exercise of a commendable public spirit, by deed, created the trust
of which the county has ever since enjoyed the benefit.

The Court House which for many years amply subserved the pur-
pose for which it was intended was erected in 1827-8, and for the same
period the ofiices of the County Clerk and Surrogate were contained in

BENCH AND BAR. 231

a small building on the same propei'ty and to the south of the Court
House.

In 1872 the Court House building was greatly enlarged and
improved, and suitable accommodations for the county records, the Sur-
rogate's Court and the records pertaining to estates, together with rooms
for the judges, District Attorney, Sheritf and Board of Supeiwisors were
included.

But so great has been the increase in the public business since the
said improvements were made that at this writing the accommodations
for records both in the offices of the County Clerk and Surrogate are
wholly inadequate, and it is to be hoped that the interest of the county
autliorities in this important matter will be at length sufficiently aroused,
and their intelligence so quickened as to enable them to see that econ-
omy does not consist in the withholding of an exjwnditure of the peo-
ple's money in a matter in which the people themselves are so vitally
interested.

In the earlier history, the Court having the jurisdiction now vested
in the County Court was known as the Court of Common Pleas.

The first Court of Common Pleas held in the county after its sep-
aration from Orange county, which was in the year 1798, convened at
New City on the first Tuesday of May, 1798.

Of this Court John Suflern was First Judge, Benjamin Coe and
James Perry were known as Judges and Abraham Onderdonk as Assist-
ant Judge.

The peaceful character of the people and the absence of causes for
litigation in the early history of the Court are apparent from the fact
that there were times in the first ten years when even the judges failed
to appear at the regularly appointed terms of the Court, for it appears
from the record that at the IVlay term of 1801, none of the Judges beiiig
present, the Court was adjourned by the Clerk to the next afternoon at
four o'clock, and that no judge having then appeared, it was adjourned to
the next November.

Among the attomies who appear upon the Court records within that
period were Samuel Smith, Peter Ogilvie, John Oppie, Thomas Smith,
Robert Campbell, James Scott Smith, Jonathan Pearsie, Jr., Charles
Thompson, William A. DePeyster and Robert MoitIs Ogden.

The office of First Judge was held bv John Suffern until 1806. It

232 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

is evident that the distingTiislied lionor conferred upon Judge Suffern
by this appointment was well merited; and the characteristic qualities
which obtained for him the jjositions of responsibility and influence
which he from time to time held were transmitted to an honored and
inHueutial line of descendants.

John Suffern was born near Antrim, Ireland, on the 23d of Novem-
ber, 1741. He came to this country in 17G3, landing in Philadelphia on
the 6th of August. ' In September, 1773 he settled at New Antrim,
which afterwards assumed his family name, and has ever since been and
is now known as "Suffern," being situated at the extreme western limit
of Rockland county. He became the owner of a large and valuable
estate in the town of Eamapo. He continued to reside at Suffern until
his death, which occiuTcd on the 11th of Novembei", 1836. During the
war of independence he held the office of Justice of the Peace and was
a member of the Coimnittee for Orange county below the mountain.
He represented his district in the Legislature of 1781, and before the
separation of Eockland county from Orange coiiuty he was County Treas-
WTer of the latter county. The following is a copy of the commission
by authority of which he held the office of First Judge, to Mat:

" COMMISSION to John Suffern, Esq., as First Judge of the County
of Eockland, Passed the Secretary's office the 6th day of
April, 1798.

"(signed) JASPEE HOPPEE,

D. Secretary.
" The People of the State of New York, by the Grace of God Free
and Independent, to all to whom these presents shall come. Greeting: —
" KNOW YE that we have assigned and constituted, and by these
presents do assign and constitute our trustworthy and well beloved John
Suffern, Esq., to be the Firet Judge of our Court of Common Pleas to
be holden in and for our county of Rockland, with full power unto him,
the said John Suffern, to exercise, fulfill, do and perform all powers and
jurisdiction which unto the office of Fii"st Jiulge of the said Coiirt do or
may belong: And we do hereby authorize and empower the said John
Suffern, together with the other Judges and Assistant Justice of our said
Court of Common Pleas to be holden in and for our said county, or any
three of them, for the time being, (whereof we will the said John Suf-
fern or either of the other Justices of the said Court for the time being

BENCH AND BAR. 233

to be one), to licar, tiy and determine by a jury of twelve good and law-
ful freeholders of tlie same county all suits, quarrels, controversies and
differences cognizable in our said Court and arising in our county afore-
said between any of the good people of our said State there according to
the laws and ordinances in that behalf made and provided and to award
execution thereupon and to use and exercise all the powers and juris-
dictions to the said Court belonging. To have and to hold, exercise and
enjoy the said office of First Judge of the said Court of C'omnaon Pleas
to be holden in and for our said county of Rockland with all the powers,
jurisdictions and authorities thereunto belonging unto him, the said
.Tolm Suifern, for and during such time as he shall well behave himself
tlieroiii, or until he shall attain the age of sixty years.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF wo have caused these letters
to bo made patent and the great seal of our said State to be lici^e-
unto affixed. AVITNESS, our trusty and well beloved John Jay,
Esq., Governor of our said State, General and Commander-in-
Chief of all the Militia, and Admiral of the Navy of the same,
by and with the advice and consent of our Council of Appoint-
ment at our City of Albany, the twenty-first day of March, in
the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-
eight, and the twenty-second year of our indejjendence.

" JOHN JAY."
In 1806 James PeiTy was appointed Fii"st Judge. His associates
were Peter D. W. Smith, Richard BLiuvelt, Andrew Suifern, John T.
Gurnee and Jeremiah W. Pierson.

In 1816 Samuel Goetchius became First Judge and continued in the
office imtil 1820.

In 1820 Edward Suffeni, son of John Suffeni, was appoint'Cd First
Judge and remained in the office until 1847. At the time of his appoint-
ment to the Judgeship he held the office of District Attorney, to which
he was appointed in the year 1816. He was born at Suffeni, and was
admitted to practice at the bar in 1810. In 1826 and 1835 he repre-
sented the county in the Assembly, and in 1852 was made a Presidential
elector. From the Court records it is evident that immediately upon his
admission to the bar he entered \ipon a large practice which rapidly grow
into a more extensive business. He died at Suffern in the year 1873.

234 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Prior to the year 1847 tlie offices of Judge and Surrogate were sep-
arate, and the duties of the latter office were by no means onerous. Sim-
plicity itself marked the methods of those days, but affairs were admin-
istered with dignity, and with much intelligence and unquestioned integ-
rity by those holding these positions of trust and responsibility.

litigation over the estates of the dead was pj'actically unknown.
The biisiness of the SiiiTogate's Court rapidly increased until it has
become a great volume, involving and presenting every phase of contro-
versy, legal and equitable of which such Courts may have cognizance.

The first Surrogate of Kockland county was Peter Tallman, who
had represented Orange county in the State Ijegislature in the years
1787 and 1788, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention in
1801. Mr. Tallman held the office of Surrogate until 1807, and again
from ISOS to 1810. The office was held by Tunis Smith in 1807, and by
liichard Blauvclt from 1811 to 1820. Mr. Blauvelt was a Presidential
elector in 1824.

Bernard O'Blenis held the office for one year in 1820-'21, and was
succeeded by James Stevens, by whom the office was filled until 1S2S,
when he was elected County Clerk. John Vanllouten was the incum-
bent from 1828 to 18.37 and was succeeded by John J. Wood. Mr.
Wood was known even dowm to the time of his death as a man of strong
character, of superior intelligence and a wise counselor. He was a mem-
ber of the Constitutional Convention of 184(3 and also of tlie 20th
Congress.

In 1841 George Benson became Surrogate and served four years.
He was succeeded by Horatio G. Prall, who served until 1847, ivom
which time the offices of County Judge and Surrogate have becTi held
by the same person.

Horatio G. Prall was one of the most honored members of the Rock-
land county Bar, and the memory of his private and official life, more
especially of his later yeai-s, remains with many still living. He was
tall of stature and of dignified appearance. He was correct and fluent
as a speaker. As a lawyer of ability and integrity he was the peer of any
of his eminent co-temporaries in the profession. As a citizen he was
most exemplary, as a friend he was true, kind and gentle. In short, he
was not only an able lawyer and advocate, but he was also that highest
type of man, a Christian gentleman. He filled the office of District

BENCH AND BAR. 235

Attorney from 1847 to 1853, and always maintained a large and liiera-
tive private practice.

In 1847 William F. Frazer was elected County Judge and Surro-
gate, which offices he held for two terms of four years each.

Judge Frazer had previously held the office of District Attorney,
to which he had been appointed in 1833, and in which he continued at
the time of liis appointment to the Judgeship.

F/dward Pye was elected County Judge in 1855 and served one term.
Judge Pye was a man of fair ability as a lawyer, and as Judge performed
all the diities of the office most acceptably.

lie possessed many sterling qualities of character, and was highly
esteemed by all classes of society. He was a member of the Central
Presbyterian Church of Haverstraw, of which the lamented Dr. Free-
man was pastor for fifty-two years. He was at one time President of the
Village of Haveretraw.

Judge Pye was a lover of music and for several years was the leader
of the choir of Dr. Freeman's Church. During the Civil War he
entered the army and became Colonel of the 95th Regiment, IST. Y. Vol-
unteers. He died June 12th, 1864, of wounds received in the Battle of
Cold Harbor.

Judge Pye was succeeded in the office of County Judge and Surro-
gate by Andrew E. Suffem of Haverstraw, who continued in the office
imtil his death, on the 16th day of March, 1881.

Judge Suffern will probably always stand forth as one of the most
Itrilliant personalities Rockland county has ever produced. He pos-
sessed in a remarkable degree the gift of fluency in speecli, \\liicli wiili
the added power and advantage of the highest culture and most thor-
ough scholarship made him a prince among orators whom the people
delighted to hear. He possessed a tenor voice of great penetration and
carrying power, and the announcement that Judge SuflFeni was to speak
upon any occasion was always sufficient to insure a large gathering of
the people. He was bom at Suffem at the homestead where his father,
Edward Suffem, and his grandfather, John Suffern, had lived and
served their generation. He was graduated from the University of New
York, studied law, and resided and practiced in Haverstraw during the
remainder of his life. In 1853 he became District Attorney, which posi-
tion he held at the time he was elected County Judge. Owing to his

236 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

high strung, nervous temperament he naturally created strong antag-
onisms, but his friendships were firm and abiding and- he was most
beloved by those who knew him best. He was for several years Chief of
the Commission of Appeals of tlie Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted
Masons in this State and was an authority on Masonic law and procedure.

Seth B. Cole of Nyack was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by
Judge Suffern's death and held the office until the following Jamiary.
Judge Cole was a native of Steuben county, in this State, received a
thorough education and at an early age took a deep interest in public
affairs and represented Steuben county in the Legislature. As a mem-
ber of the Kansas Aid Committee, in 1856, he rendered efficient service
in aiding Free State settlers into Kansas, and became prominent in pol-
itics, though refusing nominations to office. He came to Kockland
county in 1867, and in 1872 was elected District Attorney, which office
he held until 1876. Judge Cole was an exponent of the best and most
ennobling characteristics in social, professional and official life. He was
dignified and commanding in person, entertaining in conversation, schol-
arly and elegant in his public utterances; in his diction refined and
chaste, ignoring the vulgarisms which too often debase the efforts of
public speakers. He was essentially and always a tyiie of the true gen-
tleman. His memory will ever be sacredly cherished by those who were
honored with his friendship and confidence.

Judge Cole was succeeded in the Judgeship by George W. Weiant,
who had previously represented the county in the State Legislature for
several successive years.

Judge Weiant was bom in Stony Point in the year 1844. He began
the practice of law in Haverstraw in the year 1870, where he continued
to reside and practice imtil his death in 1895. He was one of the strong-
est characters in many respects that ever entered upon a professional and
public career in this county. He graduated from the State Xonnal
School at Albany with honors. He was well and intimately known by
almost the entire adiilt population of two towns at the very beginning
of his professional career. He was a dcspiser of the distinctions which
divide the social fabric, and manifested tlie utmost contempt for shams,
whether in the individual or in society. The secret of his success was
largely owing to his ability to read and undei-stand men, his sympathy
with the struggling masses, and the fact which all men read and knew, be-

BENCH AND BAR. 237

caiisp it was tke continuous expression of his life, in action as well as in
the utterance of speech that he was the friend of the common people. lu
manner he was singularly genial and attractive. In the discharge of his
professional duties he fought for his clients with a faith in hunself and
in his cause which it was inspiring to witness. His preparation was
always thorough, and the practitioners of his day learned at the begin-
ning that industry and completeness in the preparation for conflict were
essentials to the hope of success in the forum where he was the opponent.
lie entered upon an excellent practice in the first year of his professional
career, which he retained to the last. As Judge and Surrogate he was
imiversally commended. While off the bench he was most affable and
kind; when engaged in the discharge of the Judicial prerogative, he was
wholly unapproachable, apparently forgetful of the friendly and social
relations in which at other times he delighted; possessing the extraox'-
dinary faculty of shutting out of thought and consideration everything
extraneous to the matter in hand, remembering only that it was his to
judge between friend and foe alike, or rather to forget for the time being
who was friend and who was foe. This county has probably produced
no man who could claim so great a host of wann and pronounced per-
sonal friends as Judge Weiant. His death was usually lamented. His
widow and two sons still reside at the homestead where he died. The
elder son, Fred S., is now the Sheriff of the county, and his second sou,
Charles, is engaged in business in the city of New York.

Judge Weiant was followed upon the Bench by Arthur S. Tomp-
kins. At the beginning of this article it is asserted that Rockland comity
had just cause to boast of her brilliant lawyers and able judges. And
it is undoubtedly true that the proportion of those who have become emi-
nent is much greater in the smaller than in the larger counties. This is
due to the fact that lawyers in the smaller counties come more closely
and frequently in contact, the effort to achieve and maintain supremacy
is made more necessary and strenuous by the limited number of com-
peting aspirants, and the friction which shai-pens wit is brought more
continually in play. In the smaller communities the personality, which
includes ability, integrity and industry, or the absence of these, becomes
more certainly aud definitely known and established, and often decides
whether its possessor shall succeed or fail. And in the small community
the people are not long in determining who ai-e the men to whom con-

238 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

fidence may be given, and who are best qualified to forward and defend
the interests wliich they represent.

In every commonwealth there have arisen men whose experiences
have been phenomenal, men to whom success has taken kindly at the
very beginning. And this not by reason of the favor of fickle fortune
which has pursued the man, but because the man from the outset has
asserted his right and his determination to succeed and has then simply
proceeded in the use of the appointed means to achieve the desired suc-
cess. Such a man is Arthur S. Tomjikins. Although Judge Tompkins
is one of the younger members of the County Bar, special reference is
given to him here because it follows naturally the mention above made
of him as County Judge. Judge Tompkins was born at Middleburgh,
Schoharie county, New York, in the year 1865. In 1887 he was elected
Police Justice of the village of Nyack. He manifested an aptness for
political life and was elected to the Assembly as a Republican in a Dem-
ocratic county in 1889. In 1893 he became the Republican candidate
for County Judge and was elected. In 1898 he was elected Representa-
tive in Congress from the Seventeenth Congressional District, and in
December of that year resigned from the Judgeship. In 1900 he was
again elected to Congress, and is at this writing sendng his second tenu.

lie is favorably spoken of as a candidate for the Supreme Court
Bench and his peculiar fitness for that honorable and responsible position
is not questioned, but is cheerfully admitted by his brethren in the legal
profession. We have said that the ]>eople very soon recognize real merit
and true worth, but it is not often that the members of a profession will
with one accord admit and proclaim the existence of these qualities in
one of its own number. However, in this regard, the legal profession
differs from other professions. The spirit of fairness and liberality pre-
vails in this profession to a greater extent than in any other, and we are
sure that the subject of this sketch realizes and appreciates the fact that
the bar of Rockland county accords to him a position foremost among
all its members, and is proud of the lustre of his brilliant record, and of
the prominence which is his because he has earned it, not only in his
sphere of action in his own county, but everywhere where his services
have been required.

Blessed with a good constitution and splendid physiqiie, he possesses
the ability and strength which have enabled him to succeed in every

ALdNZO VVUEEI,KK.

BENCH AND BAR. 239

undertaking. Besides the duties of his Congressional and professional
life, his presence is demanded and his voice is heard frequently upon
civic and social occasions. As a trial lawyer Judge Tompkins has no
superior and few equals in the Judicial district within which his labors
are j)rincipally confined. In the examination of witnesses he is shrewd,
alert and incisive. In argument to the jury he is a marvel of freshness,
simplicity and power. lie always knows his juror and talks to him. His
arginnents are replete with illustrations which find their duplicate in the
experiences of the individual juror. History, poetry and anecdote are
brought into requisition by this master of the legal art, and all are
blended in a production of argument, appeal, pathos, denunciation and
eloquence which are sure to win a good case and save a poor one from
utter destruction. And with all this rare and brilliant exix?rience, Judge
Tompkins is still a young man, and with the continuance of health and
strength is surely destined to accomplish vastly more than he has already
achieved in the successes of the past and present.

Upon the resignation from the Judgeship of Judge Tompkins, in
1898, he was succeeded by Alonzo Wheeler, the writer of this article,
who was appointed by Governor Black to the vacancy thus created,
and who filled the office until January l.st, 1900.

In 1899 Andrew X. Fallon, son of Andrew Fallon of Piennont, was
elected to the Judgeship, of which he is the present incumbent.

Jiidge Fallon was born at Piennont. His education was obtained in
the local schools (public and private) and in the George Payne (^uack-
enbush School of New York, where he remained until 1S73. He was
admitted to the bar and fonned a partnership with his father in the
practice of the law at Piemiont in 1879. For four yeai-s he was a mem-
ber of the Board of Trustees of the village of Piermont and in 1887 was
elected President of the village. From 1887 to 1900, with the excep-
tion of the years 1892-3, he was a member of the Board of Super\nsors
of Rockland county. He was elected to the office of County Jiulge in
1899 and is now the incumbent of that office. He was married in 1893
to Miss Francis K. Knapp and has two sons, Francis K., bora May 20,
1885, and Alfred X., bom August 3, 1889, of the ages respectively of
seventeen and fifteen years. Judge Fallon has always stood for what
was best, purest and most honorable in private, professional and public
life. His is one of the few lives against which the venomous tongue of

240 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

scandal has never directed its shafts. luheritiug the sterling virtues
of his honored father, he has always possessed the confidenc-e of men with-
out seeking it, by an every day life which was in itself but the assertion
of the principles which he believed in, and which have made him a
man of incomparable strength not only in the esteem of his fellows, but
in the arena of politics through the medium of which he was elevated to
the County Judgeship.

The very extensive practice in the management and settlement ol
estates, in which his business for the most part consisted, qualified him
most admirably for the onerous duties of the Surrogate's oiRcc, and in
every department of his official and Judicial life he has perf(irnied every-
duty with rare good judgment, wisdom and ability, continually proving
himself fully entitled to and deserving of the confidence and good will
of his constituents.

The plan of this work does not contemplate the mention of all who
have from time to time occupied the position of Associate Judge in the
county, and so reference will be made to only a few of the more
prominent.

Among the most remarkable of these was George S. Allison, of Stony
Point, whose association with the Court of Common Pleas began in the
early part of the last century. He died at Stony Point when ujiwards
of ninety yeai-s of age, and retained his mental vigor and gave per-
sonal attention to his biisiness almost to the end. He served in the war of
] 812. He was in those early days engaged in business in the city of New
York. In his later days his conversation was often replete with interest-
ing incidents of those exciting times. He came to Rockland county in
LSI 5 and entered into the possession of large ancestral estates. He rep-
resented the county in the Tx'gislature in 1829 and 1830.

John I. Cole, of Haverstraw, was one of the Justices of Sessions for
many years. He was for a generation one of the most prominent figures
in the county. He was for many years a Justice of the Peace and was
also Supervisor of his town. In his earlier days he learned the carpen-
ter's trade and was an efficient and skilled mechanic. "While holding the
office of Justice of the Peace he was engaged in the real estate and insur-
ance business, from which he derived a fair income. He was the friend
and helper of many and justly enjoyed the esteem and confidence of the
people of his coimty. He administered the affairs of his court with dig-

BENCH AND BAR. 241

iiity and in the spirit of justice. As a friend he was true as steel and was
never known to betray any trust. He was a safe adviser and many young
men have profited by the counsel drawn from his wisdom and experience.

Elias V. Hill was another of the Associate Justices deserving of espe-
cial mention. At a ripe okl agie he still survives to reflect upon a well
spent life, and for a little time to enjoy the consciousness that he has
eai'ued and deserves only the esteem and confidence of the people.

Frederick J. Wiles of Clarkstown, was also a Justice of Sessions for
many years and was in his official capacity connected with many impor-
tant criminal trials. Many others filled this important position for
briefer periods, but the space allotted to this article forbids more particu-
lar mention.

The office of District Attorney has been sought and filled by many
aspirants, some of whom were brilliant, and others of average ability.

The Suffems, Frazer, Prall and Cole have already been mentioned.
John T. Smith held the office from 1820 to 1833. Thomas Lawrence
was elected in 1859 and served one term. Mr. Lawrence represented
the county in the Assembly in 1868. He is still living and resides at
South JSTyack, in this county.

Marcena M. Dickinson held the office for three terms. Leander V.
E. Eobinson, of Haverstraw, held the office in the year 1868. He died
in the South, where he had gone for the benefit of his health. The office
M'as held successively thereafter by William C. Prall, Hii-am B. Fenton,
Marcena M. Dickinson and Alonzo Wheeler, who was elected in 1878,
1881 and again in 1896.

Mr. Wheeler was succeeded in 1884 by Abram A. Demarest, who
was succeeded by Garrett Z. Snider, William ]\lcCauley, Jr., and Fi'ank
Comesky. As above stated, Mr. Wheeler again became District Attor-
ney by the election in 1896, which he resigTied in 1898 to assimie the
duties of County Judge, to which office he was appointed by Governor
Llaek to fill the viicancy caused by the resignation of Judge Tompkins.
He was succeeded by George A. Wyre, of Nyack, who was appointed
to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Wheeler's resignation.

Mr. Wyre was succeeded by Thomas II. Lee, the present incumbent.
Thus far we have made mention only of those lawyers who have held
official position in the county.

242 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The list of resident lawycre who have not sought or attained the dis-
tinction of office is a long one and includes many who whether dead or
living at this writing, have established reputations for legal skill and abil-
ity which survive and will continiie to live. Among these was Thomas
E. Blanch, of Piermont, long since deceased. He is said to have for a
long time been the only practicing lawyer in the entire town of Orange-
town. He is remembered by those who knew him to have been a man of
scholarly attainments and great legal ability. His practice was large and
luci'ative and included many intricate and important cases.

John C. T. Schmidt was one of the old time lawyers who is still
remembered by many in our county. His principal and most successful
practice was in the city of 'New York, although he wias a native and for
most of the time a resident of Nyack, in this county. In the later years
of his life he practiced to some extent in this county. Mr. Sclmiidt was
almost as well known for his courtly, and yet kind, cordial and genial
manner toward all with whom he came in contact, as for his acknowl-
edged talents as a la\vyer. When addressing a com-t or jury he always
commanded attention. He was a master of English and while his elo-
quence charmed his logic convinced. He was concededly among the
foremost in the practice of his profession in the days of his more active
life. The Hon. Hugh Maxwell, Hon. Abraham B. Conger and Hon.
John W. Ferdon were all men of eminence in their day and were for
many years residents of Rockland county and the owners of large estates
there. Neither of them was ever active in the practice of law in the
coimty. The Hon. Hugh ifaxwell was among the leadei-s of the Bar in
the city of New York and participated in the management and trial of
many noted cases. He at various times filled the positions of District
Attorney of the county of New York, Collector of the Port and Minister
to Russia. The Hon. Abraham B. Conger passed the greater part of his
time in the management of his estates, although he at times gave con-
siderable attention to politics. He represented his district in the State
Senate in 1852 and 1853, and was a member of the Constitutional Con-
vention of 1867. He was dignified in person and manner, of great and
varied learning and attainments, a profound thinker, of highest culture
and refinement.

The Hon. John "W. Ferdon, of Piermont, was a gentleman whose
confidence and friendship it was an honor to any to possess. He never

BENCH AND BAR. 243

sought proiiiinence in the practice of the law, but confined himself
mainly to the management of his large estates and to literature. He
represented the several districts in which he lived, in the Assembly in
1855, in the State Senate in 1856-7, and in Congress in 1879 to 1881.
Mr. Ferdon was an active and consistent member of the Piennont
Eeformed Church and a liberal contributor to its support. He was for
many years President of the Rockland County Bible Society. He was
gentle, tender-hearted and benevolent. He was the friend of the young,
and it was the habit of his life to diffuse sunshine and cheer in all places
and under all circumstances. In a word, he was a good man. He has
gone to his reward.

John W. Blauvelt, of Picrmont, while admitted to the Bar, never
engaged extensively in the practic-e of his profession in the county. Mr.
Blauvelt is now deceased.

It will be seen by the reading of this history that Piermont has fur-
nished a goodly niimber of the county's most worthy citizens. There
are two others to whom it is my intention to make more specific refer-
ence. One of these is Mr. Andrew Pallon, the father of ]irescnt County
Judge Andrew X. Fallon. The writer feels at liberty to deal more in
detail with the career of Mr. Fallon, for the reason that he has kni>wn
him long and intimately, and may thus speak from pereonal knowledge.

Andrew Fallon was bom in 1824. He was admitted to the Bar upon
attaining his majority, in 1845. He practiced in New York until 1849
and in that year went to California. He returned to this county in
1850, where he continuously practiced until his final retirement from
the activities of the profession. When the writer of this sketch began
practicing in Rockland county one of the two rapn most eminent and
busy in the courts was Andrew Fallon, and for many years the great biilk
of the practice in the coiinty wa.s shared by Mr. Fallon and Cornelius P.
Hoffman, and of this business Mr. Fallon had his full share. As the
writer grew into the profession and came more and more in contact with
these veterans at the Bar his acquaintance with Mr. Fallon engendered a
feeling of the highest regard and most sincere admiration. He was dis-
tingnishable in his methods from many lawyers in that he spumed and
never engaged in the tricky and dishonest technicalities which in the
practice of so many have tended to bring the legal profession into disre-

244 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

pute. lie is the representative of the very best element in his profession,
lie was always considerate towai-ds the younger members of the Bar, and
tried to encourage, rather than intimidate and discourage those young
men who, like the writer, were trying to work up a living practice.. The
cases in which he was engaged were always foiight out \ipon their merits
so far as he was concerned; he disdained to stoop to any merely techni-
cal or dishonorable advantage.

Although frequently urged, Mr. Fallon persistently refused to accept
political position. lie always retained a large and important clientage.
He has filled out a very busy and eminently successful life. His attitude
towards his brethren at the Bar was generous and always strictly hon-
orable. An oral promise was always considered by him as binding as a
written stipulation. It was his unvarying rule never to speak disparag-
ingly of another lawyer. It seems a pity that such men as Mr. Fallon
sliould be laid aside. But the infirmities of age arc upon him and his
active duties are done.

Cornelius P. Hoffman was a co-temporary of Mr. Fallon. He was a
native of Piermont and was a lawyer of acknowledged ability. Mr. Hoff-
man began and for many years continued the practice of the law in Hav-
erstraw, where he was for several years associated ^\^th John H. Hopper,
now deceased, in the prosecution of a large and widely extended business.
He was for a time President of the Village of Haverstraw, then known
as the Village of Warren. Upon the dissolution of tlie finn of Hoffman
& Hopper, Mr. Hoffman established a business in the city of ISTew York.
His later years were spent at Xyack. In person he was tall, well pro-
portioned and decidedly handsome. His knowledge of the law was var-
ied and extensive. In matters of practice he was an adept. As a cross-
examiner he was most proficient. In the handling of a witness he was
suave, smiling and effective. In cross-examination he was bland, patron-
izing and confidential in his approaches, and was thus almost sure to break
do^vn the safe-giiard of caution on the part of an opposing witness. In
summing up to tlie jury he was effective and often eloquent. For a per-
iod of many years Mr. Hoffman figiired in nearly every important crim-
inal case tried in this county, and always on the side of the defence. Mr.
Hoffman is sun'ived by a daughter, Mrs. Stanley Blauvelt, and two
sons, Mark and John, Mark being now Police Justice of the Village of
?^yack.

BENCH AND BAR. 245

Abraham A. ncinarest is at present one of the leading attorneys of
the county, liaving an otKce in the village of Nyack, while his residence
is on the main road leading to New City, in the town of Clarkstown. Mr.
Demarest was born October 27th, 1831, at Nannet, in this county. In
tlie fall of 1848 he entered the State Normal College at Albany, from
which he graduated in the spring of 1850. He followed various pur-
suits thereafter until the fall of 1856, when he was elected County Clerk,
which office he filled wdth the greatest efficiency down to Jamiary 1,
1869. He sen-ed an additional year as Deputy Clerk under his succes-
sor, Cyrus M. Crum. AVhile Coiinty Clerk he pursued the study of law
and was admitted to practice in 1870. In 1884 he was elected District
Attorney of the county and served as such for one term of three years.
As District Attorney he was uniisually industrious and efficient. His offi-
cial record was excellent, and at the end of his term presented the unu-
sual condition of a finished calendar, not a single indictment found dur-
ing his term being left for disposal by his siiec-essor. As a general prac-
titioner Mr. Demarest occupies a place in the fi'ont rank of the profession
in the county.

Frank P. Demarest, of Clarkstown, has been in the active practice
of the law, principally in this county, since the spring of 1887. For sev-
eral years prior to his admission he was a student in the office of his uncle,
Abram A. Demarest, at Nyack. He was bom at West Nyack September
12th, 1852. In 1887 he was elected a Justice of the Peace of the town
of Clarkstown, and in 1882 he was elected Supervisor of said town, which
position he held at various times for the period of twelve years. In 1881
he was appointed Clerk of the Surrogate's Court of Rockland county
and occupied said office for eleven years and nine months thereafter. In
early life Mr. Demarest developed an aptness for politics and has for
many years been an acknowledged leader in his party. Mr. Demarest
possesses many highly commendable natural characteristics, among which
are courtesy, generosity, kind-heartedness and the gentlemanly instinct,
which have throughout his entire public life secured for him a host
of warm and steadfast friends, and given him the power he wields in
politics. In the years 1888, 1889, 1891 and 1900 he represented his
district in the Assembly with entire satisfaction to his constituents. He
is at this -^^Tnting engaged in the practice of the law in New York and in
this county.

246 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

George A. Blauvelt is a resident of Monsey, in this county, and is
engaged in a successful practice both iu New York and in this county,
lie is the junior member of the firm of Gratf & Blauvelt, of 229 Broad-
way, New York city. Mr. Blauvelt is thirty-seven years of age. He was
favored with the best educational advantages in his youth, which he evi-
dently appreciated and fully improved. He received his preparation for
college at the Chappaqua Mountain Institute, Chappaqua, Westchester
county, K. Y. He entered Cornell University, from which he graduated
in Jvme, 1890, with the degi-ee of Bachelor of Laws. He took a post
gTaduate course at Columbia Univereity, where in 1891 the degi-ee of
M. A. was confen-ed upon him. He attended the Columbia Law School
and was finally admitted to practice from the oflice of Bobcrt W. Todd,
of 229 Broadway, New York, in December, 1892. In July, 1893, Mr.
Blauvelt entered the law firm of (Jraff & Blauvelt as junior member. In
the years 1893, 1894 and 1895 he was School Commissioner of Ilocklaud
county and filled the office acceptably. Mr. Blauvelt is at present a direc-
tor in and attorney for the First National Bank of Spring Valley, N. Y.
As a man and lawyer Mr. Blauvelt merits and enjoys the esteem and con-
fidence of the community.

William H. Bamiister, of Nyack, is a son of Professor William H.
Bannister, fonnerly an accomplished and successful educator of Nyack,
now deceased. He waa admitted to practice in May, 1900. He soon
thereafter formed a co-partnership with Arthur S. Tompkins, Tuider the
firm name of Tompkins & Bannister. Being afterwards elected a Jus-
tice of the Peace for Orangetown, ho withdrew from such co-partnership
and devoted himself principally to the duties of his office. He subse-
quently entered into a partnership with Clarence Lexow and George A.
Wyre, under the firm name of Lexow, Wyre & Bamiister. He soon
withdi-ew from the partnership thus formed and has ever since been
engaged in the practice on his own account in connection with his duties
as Justice of the Peace, which ofiice he has held for four consecutive
terms.

The personal and professional career of William TenBroeck Storms,
fonnerly of Nyack, now deceased, demand more than a passing notice.
This biogTaphy is written largely from the ^vl•iter's personal knowledge
of Mr. Storms and partly from a sketch made by Mr. Stonus himself at
the request of the compilers of this work. The professional life of Mr.

BENCH AND BAR. 247

Storms was modest, unassuming, devoted to his clientage, and faithful
and careful to the last degree in eveiy detail of the work assigned him
in the many interests committed to him.

Mr. Storms was a son of Abram J. Storms, who is still living, and
who once conducted a flourishing business at Nyack in the manufactui-e
of cedar ware, for which he had a large Southern trade, which was bro-
ken up by the War of the Rebellion. His mother's name was Sarah
Smith TenBrocck, a name even now well known in some parts of New
Jei-sey. The subject of this sketch received a common school educa-
tion at the Nyack public school, which was followed by an academic
course, also at Nyack. Mr. Storms studied law first in the office of
Tiiomas Lawi-ence, at 117 Nassau street, in the city of New York, and
aftenvards with Edward AVells, at Peekskill, N. Y., from whose office
he was admitted to practice in May, 1866. He commenced practice as
managing clerk for Dexter A. Hawkins, of New York, and afterwards
took an office of his own at 150 Broadway, New York, where he remained
two years, then going to Nyack, where he continued in business until
the time of his death, which occurred in 1901. Mr. Stonns was
from time to time connected with various local enterprises, prominent
among which was the Nyack Building Co-Operative Savings and Loan
Association, of which he was at the time of his death the attorney. He
also held the office of Referee in Bankruptcy. Mr. Storms acquired a
large Equity and SuiTogate's practice, which he retained imtil his death.
It is said that he was the friend and counsellor of many who were too
poor to pay, and of whom he neither demanded nor expected compensa-
tion. His memory \vill be cherished by those who knew him most inti-
mately during the thirty-five years of his professional life.

Justin DuPratt White is one of the younger members of the pro-
fession, whose scholarly attainments and creditable record at the Bar
constitute him already one of the foremost in the practice. Mr. White
is one of the class of men whom one feels honored in knowing. The
writer in this department has no desire to be diffusive or fulsome, but he
has a most sincere desire to be just; and is entirely so in the statement
that J. DuPratt White is one of the men and lawyers whom it is a delight
to know and be associated with. As a lawyer he is brilliant and formid-
able before court or jury. Mr. White was born at Middletown, Orange
county. New York, on the 25th of July 1869. His father is Charles Nel-

248 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

son Wliite, who is still living in I^yack. His mother, Elizabeth Crosby,
was a native of Akron, Ohio, and died abont fifteen yeare ago. The sub-
ject of tliis sketch has lived in Ro<'kland connty abont twenty-fonr ycai-s,
the most of the time in Nyaek. He was educated at various private
schools in this State and in New Jersey; in the Nyack Union Free
School, from which he graduated in 1885; in the Ithaca High School, at
Ithaca, N. Y., and in Cornell University. He graduated from Cornell
University June 19th, 1890, after the usual four years' coiirsc, with the
degree of Bachelor of Letters. He was admitted to the bar in February,
1892, and has ever since practiced law in New York and Rockland coun-
ties. In 1896 ]\rr. AVliite fonned a partnership with Henry J. Coggos-
iiall (for many years State Senator from Oneida county. New York),
under the firm name of Coggeshall & White. In 1901, said partner-
sliip having been dissolved, he formed a partnership ^\^th George B. Case,
under the firm name of White & (_'ase, which partncrehip is still in exist-
ence. In 1900 he was appointed by Governor Roosevelt a Commissioner
of the Palisades Intei-state Park for New York, and by Governor Voor-
liees a Commissioner of the Palisades Interstate Park for New Jei-scy,
and subsequently was elected by the Commissioners secretary of each of
the said commissions, which position he still holds. Mr. White is a
Republican and has manifested considerable interest in politics in Rock-
land county, having been repeatedly elected a delegate to Judiciary and
Congressional conventions. On September 7th, 1898, Mr. White mar-
ried Miss Anita Bradley Lombard, daughter of Thomas Russell Lombard,
of Fort Hamilton, New York.

Philip VanAlstine, of Spring Valley, has been a resident of Rockland
county since May, 1877. He has practiced largely and principally in the
New York city courts, although he has at the same time represented
an important clientage and many large interests elsewhere. Mr. Van
Alstine was bom in the town of Stuyvesant, Columbia county, N. Y., in
1845, and is a lineal descendant of Jan Martense VanAlstine, one of the
first settlers of Columbia county, who located there in 1656. He began
the study of law mth Hon. Charles L. Beale and Wan-en C. Benton, at
Hudson, Columbia connty, in 1860, and was admitted to practice as an
attorney and counsellor at law in New York county in 1868. He has
been principally engaged in the management and trial of civil actions.

GEURGE W. WEIANT.

BENCH AND BAR. 249

He has freqiipiitlv been retained as attorney or counsel in the State and
United States courts in the trial or argument of causes involving intri-
cate question? of law and important interests. Mr. VanAlstine has never
engaged actively in politics. He has, however, held many positions of
local responsibility and importance, and has represented his districts in
National, State and County Conventions.

Irving Brown, of Haverstraw, is known as one of the ablest lawyers
of this county. He engaged in the study of law in the office of the late
Judge Andrew E. Suffern, at Haverstraw, and was admitted to prac-
tice in the year 1875. Immediately upon his admission ho entered
into a co-partnership with Alonzo Wheeler, the \vriter of this sketch,
under the finn name of AVhex:>ler & Brown. This partnei-ship was dis-
solved in 1SS3, both of its members continuing separately in business
in Haverstraw until the present time. In the intervening years Mr.
Brown has conducted an immense business with marked ability and suc-
cesa He possesses the unusual facility of concentration in thought and
speech, and his addresses to court and jury have been models of forensic
effort, often abounding with the most cutting sarcasm and always with-
out redundancy of words. Comprehensive grasp of the subject, and
clear, happy and pointed expression, together with the uniform success
of his efforts have earned for Mr. Brown the high standing conceded to
him by the profession. He has twice represented his district in the State
Assembly. His opinions upon difficult questions of law have often been
sought and accepted as authority, even by his seniors in the practice.

Among tlie lawyers formerly well kno\\Ti in the county, who are now
deceased, in addition to those already mentioned, are William B. Slocum,
George L. Mann, John H. Hopper, Charles W. Root, Garrett Z. Snider,
Hiram B. Fenton, Merritt E. Sawyer, and Andrew J. Mathewson.

The standing of these men as members of the commimity and in the
relations they respectively bore to the Bar of Rockland county is remem-
bered by very many of the residents of the coimty.

John F. McFarlane is the industrioiis and indefatigable junior mem-
ber of the firm of Tompkins & McFarlane. In 1892 he graduated from
the excellent Nyack public school and for two years thereafter studied
law in the offices of W. H. Bannister and Frank Comesky, at Nyack.
In 1804 he entered the New York Law School, from which he graduated
in 1897 and was immediately thereafter admitted to the Bar. In the

2S0 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

same year lie opened an office at Nyack and at once entered npon an
enconraging practice. He became a member of the firm of Tompkins &
Mc¥arlane on the first of Januai-j-, 1898. He has been recently elected
a Jnstice of the Peace of the Town of Orangetown. He is twenty-six
years of age. Mr. ilcFarlane is most competent and thorough in the
detail work in every department of the business. He is a good trial law-
yer and manifests a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the prin-
ciples of law and of the rules of practice. As an individual he is affable
and courteous; as a lawyer he is hard working, persistent and aggressive.
He is an honorable practitioner and reflects credit upon his chosen pro-
fession. While Judge Tompkins, his partner, is a leader among Repub-
licans, Mr. McFarlane is an enthusiastic and popular Democrat.

Frank Crurabie is a resident of Nyack whose practice is conducted
principally in the city of New York, where he has an office at 35 Nassau
street. Mr. Crumble was bom in the city of New York, March 2!)th,
1862, and was educated in the schools of that city. In 1882 he entered
the Columbia College Law School, from which he graduated in 1884.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1885. He was married on October 25th,
1897, to Annie S. Towt, granddaughter of John W. Towt, late of Nyack,
deceased. Mr. Crumble is a son of James Crumble, who, having amassed
a fortune in the drug business in New York, retired from business in
1860, and devoted his time to the management of his large real estate
holdings in the city. He established his summer residence at Nyack in
1858. He died December 12th, 1879, leaving sun-iving six children, of
whom the subject of this sketch is one. While applying himself indus-
triously to the duties of an active professional life,Mr. Crumble finds
ftpportunity to engage in important local enterprises, and has devoted
much time and energy and given the influence of his high professional
and social standing in the interest of the Young Men's Christian Asso-
ciation of Nyack.

Gerrit Smith became a resident of Nyack in 1893, where he has ever
since resided, while engaged in the practice of the law in the city of New
York. Mr. Smith was born at Madison, New Haven county, Conn., on
the 8th of January, 1854. He attended the public schools for a time
and afterwards entered Lee's Academy at Madison, from which he grad-
uated in 1872. He then for one year engaged -with the United States
Coast Survey in surveying New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound.

BENCH AND BAR. 251

In 1873 lie entered Yale College, from which he graduated in 187Y,
after which he taught for one year in the Boys' Preparatory School of
New Haven. He then entered the law department of Yale University,
from which he graduated in 1880. He was admitted to the Bar in Con-
necticut and afterwards in New York, where ho began practice at 52
Broadway. In 1883 Mr. Smith was man-ied to Lela A. Wood, daughter
of Charles Wood, of Berlin, Conn. Since estoblishing his residence at
Nyack, Mr. Smith has been identified with numerous religious organiza-
tions of that place. He has for a number of yeai-s held the office of super-
intendent of the Central Nyack Congregational Sunday school. He is a
director of the Nyack Y. M. C. A., ti-ustee of the Nyack library and of
the JS'yack Building and Loan Association.

Among the lawyers who formerly practiced in Rockland county, but
have gone to other fields of labor are Robert II. Patton, H. D. Batchel-
der and Charles C. Suflfern. Mr. Patton is a brother of Dr. Francis Ij.
Patton, President of Princeton College, and Charles C. Suffem is the
son of the late Judge Andrew E. Suffem, deceased.

Benjamin Levison is a promising and rising yoimg lawyer, who stud-
ied law with Abrani A. Demarest at Nyack, from whose office he wa.s
admitted to practice.

William E. Gowdey formerly lived and practiced in this county. He
still resides here, but practices principally in Xow York.

Fred W. Penny resides at Stony Point having an office at Haver-
straw. Mr. Penny is a son of AVilliam J. Penny, formerly Sheriff of
Rockland, and a son-in-law of John II. Neilly, late of Stony Point, de-
ceased. He was admitted to practice in 1886. He lias been twice
elected Supervisor of his town. He is engaged principally in the civil
practice.

Charles M. Stafford and E. T. Lovatt are attorneys residing at or
near Spring Valley, and doing business principally in New York and
Brooklyn. Both have practiced to some extent in important cases in
Rockland coimty. These gentlemen with many others hereinafter nam-
ed, have failed to impart to the writer such infomiation as would enable
him to state more specifically the matters of principal interest in their
large and varied experiences, although he has requested them to fur-
nish such information.

252 HISTORY OP ROCKI^AND COUNTY.

Mr. Garrett H. Crawford and Mr. Truman H. Bakhvin both promi-
nent and influential residents of South Xyack, have failed to respond to
the request for information concerning- their professional careers, and
the writer is therefore unable to mete out to them that full justice
Hhich they should receive at his hands. Enough has been communi-
cated, however, to enable us to say vnth assurance, that the Kockland
County Bar is honored in its association with these two gentlemen, and
the Village of South Xyack is fortunate in its ability to claim them
as among its representative citizens.

Among the younger members of the Bar is Mr. J. Elmer Christie of
ISTyack, who though duly admitted has not confined himself exclusively
to the practice. We bespeak for him a successful and honorable future.

Mr. Thomas Gagan of Haverstraw, is, we brieve, the latest acces-
sion to the Bar of the county. Mr. Gagan was bom in the to^vn of
Haverstraw on September 16th, 1879. In his early boyhood he attend-
ed the Haverstraw Public School, working on the brickyards in the
summer. He graduated from the Grammar Department of the school
at the age of seventeen. At eighteen he entered Manhattan College
and continued there two years working on the brickyards during the
summer vacations. In 1889 Mr. Gagan entered upon a three years
course in Cohunbia Law School from which he graduated June lltli,
1902. During his course, in vacation time, he studied in the office of
the Hon. Ii-viug Bro^vn at Haverstraw. Having been duly admitted,
he began practice on his o\vn account at Haverstraw July 21st, 1902.
He occupies pleasant ofiices in the National Bank building. A man of
Mr. Gagan's detennination and attainments is sure to succeed.

Cyrillus Myers is a resident and practitioner of Haverstraw, and is
as generally kno\\m and as popular as any public or professional man in
the town. Mr. IMvers began the practice of the law in Haverstraw many
years ago, having for a long time been a student in the office of Corne-
lius P. Hoffman. He early entered the arena of politics, and was elected
a Justice of the Peace of his town which office he held for many years.
He then moved to Patorson, New Jersey, where he resided for a period
of several years, at the expiration of which he returned to Haverstraw,
where he again engaged in the practice of law. Still manifesting a
fondness for politics he again sought the office of Justice of the Peac«
to which he has been since twice elected. While Mr. Myers has estab-

BENCH AND BAR. 253

lished a fiue legal practice, his special qualifications for the Judicial of-
fice have gained for him a most enviable reputation as an able, impartial
and wise Judge. He possesses the unusual faculty of ignoring every
consideration in the discharge of the Judicial duty except those consid-
erations which are based upon and grow out of the merits as determined
by the facts in evidence. In the discharge of his pi'ofessional duties he
has had committed to him many valuable interests, consisting largely of
estates involving considerable practice in the Surrogate's Court. Mr.
Myers, his ^vife and children, Arthur, Cyrillus and Blanche are mem-
bers of the Central Presbyterian Church of Haverstraw, and are all
active and devoted workers in every department of Church and Sun-
day school work.

George A. Wyre, of Nyack, is one of our best. kno\vn lawyers. As
a trial lawyer he is recognized as the peer of any member of the county
Bar. In 1898 he was appointed District Attorney of the county to fill
the vacancy created by the resignation of Alonzo Wheeler, who had suc-
ceeded to the County Judgeship. Mr. Wyre is Republican in politics,
but is extremely popular with, those of all shades of political opinion,
lie has represented his party in various political conventions. While
a resident of Clarkstown, his principal office is at Nyack, where he con-
ducts a flourishing business.

George E. Bristor, formerly of Spring Valley, biit now of Rahway,
N. J., has an office at 200 Broadway, in the city of Xew York, but prac-
tices also in this county. IVIr. Bristor was formerly in the ministry, and
for several yeare prcaclied at Spring Valley. As a preacher he was a
man of rare power and eloquence. As a public speaker and advocate he
is a most accomplished orator. The writer has in liis many years' exper-
ience hoard few men of any calling who possess in such a degix^c as he
the thrilling, mo\'ing power of eloquence, combined vnth the convinc-
ing power of reason and logic.

The following are some of the lawyers who live in Rockland county,
but whose business is caiTied on wholly or neariy so in the city of Ifew
York, of whom the writer has obtained no special information, viz.:
Claude Gignoux, Benjamin F. LaRue, George W. Miatt, A. B. Norton,
Lewis I. Snyder and James Taylor, all of the town of Ramapo, Ivan
Sickels, of the town of Orangetown, and A. T. Payne, of Stony Point.

254 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

This article will close with a reference to some of the best known
members of the Bar of Rockland county, which in every case will be
brief, for the reason that special biographical sketches of all are given
elsewhere in this history. Biographical sketches, however, do not always
do justice to the personality or the achievements of the subject, and the
writer deems it a privilege to add to the cold statement of facts con-
cerning these gentlemen such criticism as may be just and proper.

Of this number the Hon. Clarence Lexow is one. His achievements
at the Bar and in the arena of politics are now matters of historj^, and
nothing that can be added by the writer of this article can add to the
lustre of his fame. As the representative of his district in the State Sen-
ate and as the cliairman of the famous Lexow Committee, he displayed
those qualities of statesmanship in the exercise of which he was able to
and did accomplish miich that had before been deemed impossible for
the purification of politics. His advocacy and tremendous and success-
ful efFoi'ts for the adoption of the Greater New York charter, and the
many other and important measures which became laws by reason of his
skillful and determined advocacy are mattera of imperishable record.
His large law practice and the multitudinous interests and trusts com-
mitted to him in his professional capacity, have induced him for the
time to ■withdraw from the more strenuoTis ]>olitical life.

"William McCauley, of Haverstraw, whose record also appears in a
more extended sketch, has a clientage which extends throughout the
entire county, and he has frequently been retained in the trial of causes
in other coimtios. His record as District Attorney is a flattering one,
and his entii-e professional career has been one continuous success. There
is no busier or more industrious lawyer in the coimty, and there is no law-
yer wlio more richly merits the esteem in which he is imiversally held.
As a trial la^vyer he has no siiperior in the county, and he is known to
be exceptionally thorough, painstaking and conscientious in the per-
formance of every duty.

Frank Comcsky, of ISTyack, is another member of the Bar who as
a man and la%\'5'er stands upon the same liigli plane where so many of his
brethren already refeiTed to are found. In the office of Disti'ict Attor-
ney of the county he won distinction, and his entire practice is indica-
tive of the keen, methodical, devoted and generous la\vyer. The Bar of

BENCH AND BAR. 255

Eocklaml county accords to Mr. Comesky a liigli aiul lioiiorablc place
in its ranks.

Daniel D. Sherman is prominent in the New Yoi'k city practice and
resides on Clinton avenue, in South ISTyack. He has practiced to some
extent in this county, and is highly esteemed by the resident lawyers
who have the honor of his acquaintance, and by the citizens of South
Nyack, who are privileged to claim him as a resident of that municipality.

Peter Q. Eckerson, of Spring Valley, conducts an extensive business
in the city of New York, and has been engaged in a number of important
matters, some of them involving difBcnlt questions of law in the courts
of this covmty. Mr. Eckerson is an affable and courteous gentleman,
esteemed wherever kno'vvn and recognized as a lawyer of siiperior ability.

Thomas H. Lee is the present District Attorney of Kockland county.
He is thoroughly educated, refined, dignified and courteoiis. His
biogTaphy, which appears in another part of this work, discloses a highly
honorable ancestry and present family connections. Mr. Lee has man-
ifested great zeal and energy in matters of local importance and interest,
especially in educational matters in the town of Stony Point, where he
resides. He is well groimded in the principles of law, a man of large
general information, an accomplished conversationalist, a good lawyer,
with a constantly increasing practice. He has discharged the duties of
the District Attorney's office acceptably, and wall probably receive the
nomination of his party for an additional term.

John W. Funnan, of Havei-straw, the history of whose life n]>])ears
elsewhere, is universally esteemed for his literary and educational attain-
ments, his thorough mastery and imderstanding of the principles of law,
the ability and integrity with which he engages in the discharge of every
duty laid upon him, and the devotion to the interests of his clients which
has secured to him the large and important biisiness in which he is
engaged.

Irving Hopper, also the subject of a personal sketch to be found else-
where in this history, is the attorney for the ISTyack Building and Loan
Association, and has established a large and successful business besides,
by sheer force of character, merit and ability. Mr. Hopper is especially
proficient in the class of cases known as equity cases, is recognized as an
authority on real estate law, and as a careful and thoroughly competent
and reliable searcher of titles his services are invaluable and are often

256 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

sought by the Bar at large. lie has also a large practice in suri'ogates'
courts and is proficient in all matters relating to estates, both as to the
law and practice. Mr. Hopper is among the younger members of the
Bar, but has with rapid strides advanced to the front rank.

Jonathan W. Sherwood is so well known throughout the county that
any comments of the writer may be justly considered as unnecessary.
As School Commissioner, which office he now fills, he has made an ailniir-
able record. As a lawyer he has secured an advanced position, and in
the trial of causes has manifested a marked ability. The biographical
sketch of Mr. Sherwood in another part of this work will be read with
interest.

Frank S. Harris is the efficient and popular Supervisor of the town
of Eamapo, which office he has held for several years. Mr. Harris is
also counsel for the Village of Suffern. He has established a large and
varied practice. He is universally esteemed by the members of the Bar
and by the people of the community where he resides and is best known.

Fred S. Weiant is the popular Sheriff of Rockland county and is the
youngest man who ever occupied that position. Mr. AVeiant is a thor-
oughly educated lawyer. In his student days he was known as one of
the brightest and most proficient pupils in the various institutions in
which he pursued his studies. He was admitted to the Bar, but never
engaged regularly in the practice. His partiality for political life led
him to contend for honors in that field, and his first efforts were crowned
with success. The term of his piesent office vsdll expire January 1, 1904.

Haiwey DeBaun, a native and resident of Clarkstown, in this
county, entered upon a good practice at the beginning of his professional
career, which he has maintained and largely increased. Mr. DeBaun
represents large business and ]>roperty interests and has successfully
Dinnaged many important law suits. He is industrious, persistent and
indefatigable in his devotion to the interests of his clients. In the trial
of a law suit he is able, always manifesting a broad and comprehensive
understanding of the issues involved, and indicating a thoroughness of
preparation, which render him a dangerous antagonist, and commend
him as one to whom the most important interests may be committed with
the utmost confidence.

The ^\1•ite^ of this article has striven to present an accurate history
of the Bench and Bar of Eockland county. If he has been guilty of

BENCH AND BAR. 257

omissions or inaccviracics, it is owing to his inability to obtain knowledge,
for which he has diligently sought. The comments, eulogistic or other-
wise, upon the lives of any are based upon pei-sonal knowledge of the
WTiter drawn from contact and association with the persons criticised.

niSTOEY OF JOUKNALISM IN ROCKLAND COUNTY.

By Eobert H. Fenton.

The most primitive methods of publishing news was among the In-
dians, the knowledge of important events being heralded by the swiftest
runnei-s of the tribes, such as were chosen by competitive trials of speed
and endurance.

Then came the hoi'se as a means of conveyance; the stage coach, and
the slow Dutch sloop; yet news was still borne by verbal message, or let-
ters sent along the post roads.

After awhile the printed page found its way into the county from
Boston, New York or Philadelphia, and the news was real aloud in
front of taverns, or in other public places, or among groups of neighbors
gathered together to hear what was going on in the world at large; and
then, as newspapers increased, Rockland was embraced in the tenitory
covered by small local papers of adjoining counties.

The first newspaper published in Rockland county was the Palladian,
and Ezekiel BiuToughs was the pioneer journalist. This was in Ilaver-
straw, in about the year 1812. The paper was only published a short
time when it was discontinued, and then it was not until 1828 that
another venture was made in the newspaper business. The Rockland
Register was started in tliat year by Mr. Burroughs, and in 1830 it was
changed to the Rockland Gazette.

In May, 1833, another paper was started in ITaverstraw by John
Douglass, and the next year this paper — the Rockland Advertiser — was

258 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

united with the Gazette, under the name of the Rockland Advertiser
and Family Gazette.

In 1843 it was published as the Rockland News and General Adver-
tiser, by John L. Burtis.

Two other papers were started in that village, but were discontinued
in a short time, as they were opposition papers and could not draw
enough pati'onage from the one already established. One was the North
River Times, started in 1834, by Alexander H. AVells, and the other
was the Mirror, published a short time in 1838. The forms of these
jjapers were small and they were all printed on the early hand-presses
then up-to-date.

The next paper established, and which soon found itself alone, hav-
ing triumphed over all competitors, was the Rockland County Messen-
ger. This paper was started by Robert Marshall in May, 1840, and was
much larger in form than the others had been, and was soon known as
a "blanket sheet," after having been enlarged to unhandy dimensions
to accommodate its increase of advertisements.

In 1852 the Messenger was purchased by Robert Smith, who ran
it successfully against all opposition for over forty years. During that
period several other papers were started, but soon ceased for want
of patronage; except during the last few years of the century, when an
opposition journal found patronage sufficient for its maintenance, which
was the Rockland County Times. The Times is owned and edited by
]\Iichael McCabe, who, without any previous experience in the news-
paper business, has proved himself equal to the responsibilities which he
assumed. Mr. McCabe's paper, which is fearless in expression, is a
power in the iipper part of the county, and its editor and proprietor is
as genial a friend as he is a writer and hard fighter for what he believes
to be right. The Messenger is at present published by W. W. Fre_>'f ogle.

Spring Valley has two newspapers, the Leader and the Sentinel,
which do good work in their respective localities. Suffern has two news-
papers, the Recorder, owned by Helmle Brothers, of Nyack, and the
Independent.

The history of journalism now changes to Nyack, which soon took
the lead and held it as a newspaper town.

August 7th, 1850, marks the commencement of a new era in the
history of the place, for it was upon that date that the first number of a

JOURNALISM IN ROCKLAND COUNTY. 2S9

weekly newspaper was issued. It was called the Rockland County Jour-
nal, and it was edited by William G. Haeselbartli. The first number
was printed in Xew York city, but the oihce was soon after established
in the village. The form of the paper was four pages and of the regular
"blanket sheet" size. Robert Carpenter was employed as printer and
when the first number was issued from the office in JTyack a large num-
ber of people of the village crowded around the windows and doors to see
the novel sight of printing a newspaper. The old style hand press of
the latest improved pattern was used. The paper was then Democratic
in politics, and a large number of subscribers greeted its weekly \dsits,
as it gave them a knowledge of what was transpiring in the vicinity or
throughout the county, which was more satisfactory than the uncer-
tainties of gaining information by chance. The editor was a young man
of considerable literary talent, and the columns of the first twenty years
of the Journal bore evidence of his ability both as a poet and prose
writer, and in local history and politics, and especially in the warfare
of sharp and stinging satire, in which he was quite an adept. In 1861
the paper changed to Republican in politics.

The Journal had been published about nine years when a second
paper was started in Nyack. This was the City and Country, by Robert
Carpenter, on May 19th, 1859, the office being in the second story of a
dilapidated building in the rear of the Refonned Church. The press
and material used in issuing the new paper had been purchased from
parties who had for a short time ran a paper called the Rockland County
Democrat, printed somewhere outside the county, pi'obably in New
York city. The first number Mr. Carpenter issued was called The Peo-
ple's Advocate, but the name was soon changed to City and Countiy.
Shortly after it commenced running Mr. Cai-jienter, tlu'ough the solici-
tations of Rev. L. D. Mansfield, formed partnership with William Wirt
Sikes, an accomplished literateur, but the partnership was of short dura-
tion and Mr. Carpenter re-assumed entire control of the paper in 1861.

It was between the years 1860 and 1870 that amateur journalism
flourished to a considerable extent in Nyack in addition to the two well-
established weekly papers, and several small journals were printed.
Among the number were the Ray of Light, for J. Bolingbroke Rey-
nolds, which expired after the first or second number. The Boys and
Girls' Monthly, a magazine, was started by William B. Coming, which

260 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

existed several montlis, and then tlie Home Cabinet, by Mr. Coming,
Avhich existed a year or two. Several other ventures were made, tlio
most important of which was the Monthly Visitor, a good sized paper,
edited by C. A. Morford, Jr. All these were printed at the offices of the
two larger papers.

Many fluent and able wi-iters helped the columns of the Journal
during the long interval of Messrs. Haeselbarth's and Charlton's editor-
ship, i^revious to the advent of the dailies; and also during the early
years of the City and Country' helped that paper to literary excellence.
Among the early writers of poetry and prose are the names of Emeline
Smith, of Piermont; Mrs. H. E. Haeselbarth, John Bolingbroke Rey-
nolds, J. L. Eenton, Theander Secor, Henry jSTelson Hauua, Willie F.
Gilchrest, Louis Henri Caldwell, William Wirt Sikes, Fannie A. Dean,
and in poetry, particularly, such talented writei-s as Henri H. Fcnton,
Martin Knapp, Frederic R. Marvin, John B. Ketchum, of Monsey, and
Horace G. Knapp.

In about the year 1S7G M. F. Onderdonk started a job printing
office in the Onderdonk Block. Doing work at lower prices that at the
other offices, the result was that it not only obliged the others to do
work at lower figures, but increased the amount of printing in the \il-
lage. Soon after this, Mr. Onderdonk started a small paper called the
Eockland Advertiser. The first niuubcr appeared in Febnxai-y, 1879.-
This was the third newspaper permanently established in Nyack, for it
continued for nearly ten years. In February, 1880, the Eockland
Advertiser was purchased by Horace Greeley Knapp, who enlarged and
otherwise improved it, and changed its name to Advertiser and Chron-
icle, though M. F. Onderdonk continued as printer. Martin Knap]) at
first ser\^ed as associate editor, but was succeeded by E. H. Feuton, who
remained nearly the rest of the year, during which time the paj>er
obtained a firm foothold in the community and rapidly increased in cir-
culation. On the withdrawal of E. H. Fenton, who returned to the
City and Country, Martin Knapp again became associate editor. Soon
after this, W. H. Blakeney bought the office from Onderdonk, and Mar-
tin Knapp served awhile as editor in full charge for W. H. Blakeney,
as his son, H. G. Knapp, had withdrawn. The paper was independent
in politics and the annual subscription was one dollar. In September,

JOURNALISM IN ROCKLAND COUNTY. 261

1881, the jiaper was bought by Lafayette Markle, and the name again
changed, to The Nyack Chronicle.

The sudden death of Robert Carpenter, on October 13th, 1880, left
his family in the management of the City and Country, until January
1, 1881, when Joseph J. Hart, of Upper jSTyack, purchased the estab-
lishment, taking in a printei', E. C. Fisk, as a nominal partner. The
pai>er under the new management was somewhat improved and its sub-
scription list increased. A new power press was also bought in place of
the old Hoe hand press then in use.

Soon after the Advertiser and Chronicle was sold to Blakeney, Wal-
ter H. Supe, a lawyer of eccentric business habits and visionaiy ideas,
published the Columbian, M. F. Onderdonk, who had purchased a new
office, being its printer. Mr. SliTipe, himself, personated "Father (Colum-
bia," and with a pen of sarcasm set out on a short but brilliant campaign
of journalistic warfare. He was a most accomplished fighting editor,
bold and aggressive in the Tise of the pen, calling upon the higher powers
to uphold his righteous indignation, but, when worsted, was liable to
spring some legal trap on his opponent to piit him to trouble. For this,
and some other reasons, perhaps, his contemporaries learned to avoid
a controversy with him and ignored him altogether. Like all the other
entei-prises of Shupe, the paper was a failure, and he returned with it to
~Sew York city, where it was finally extinguished.

Aboiit the same time a monthly religiovis paper called the Cliuvch
and Home was published from Onderdonk's office by Rev. William
Stout, thus making five pid^lications for the village of ISJ^yack. The
publication of weekly newspapers now reached its high-water mark.

The next newspaper established in Nyack was the Lidependent
Advertiser, edited by John V. Onderdonk, and printed at the office of
his son, M. F. Onderdonk, in 1882. The little sheet was noted for its
temperance principles, and was very outspoken, even to excess, which
often endangered the personal safety of its editor. In 1885 Millard F.
Onderdonk became proprietor of the paper and it was enlarged.

In the meantime the Rockland Coimty Journal changed hands.
The establishment in 1867 was owned by Richard P. Eells, who was not
a newspaper man himself, but had acquired possession of the plant by
having previously been its financial backer. In that year it was pur-
chased by John Charlton, who had had some journalistic experience in

262 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

California, as a reporter on SanFrancisco dailies. Mr. Charlton remained
at its head for about seventeen years, when Dr. Frank B. Green bought
the printing office and assumed the duties of editor. Dr. Green's health
gave out soon after and he was obliged to leave the business iu the hands
of others and seek the benefits of an ocean voyage. He had previously
written a history of the county.

In December, 1883, Joseph J. Hart withdrew from the City and
Country, leaving E. C. Fisk in full charge. This responsibility proved
too much for Fisk and the plant soon fell into the hands of a party called
the "Rockland County Publishing Company." A printer by the name
of Page was put in Fisk's place; but he too was unequal to the task,
although the business was well established and should have been made
to pay.

In a short time afterwards the establishment Avas sold to Colonel C.
C. Messervey, a western journalist and war vetei'an. He was induced to
buy the concern from the Company by Fisk, who was thereby re-installed
as foreman. The latter soon after left town abniptly, abandoning his
position; also that of Town Clerk. Col. Messervey was a man of strong
intellect and was authoritive in his manners and paid strict attention to
business. The fanners from the country who formerly came in to pay
their subscriptions in vegetables or fruit, and have a social chat with the
editor, found a different kind of a man at the desk.

Colonel Messervey brought the paper up again to its former standard
for news, but the paper was enlarged to the extreme size of a "blanket
sheet." It was a four page paper and the fonn of each page was twenty
by twenty-six inches, making it inconvenient to handle.

On October 15, 1888, Lafayette Markle, of the Nyack Chronicle,
died of malignant diphtheria, and on the 18th of the same month Col-
onel Messervey, of the City and Country, died. Dm'ing this month
E. H. Fenton was in charge of the Chronicle. It was just on the eve
of a Presidential election and the Chronicle, being a strong Republican
paper, was kept up to its political interest to the last. Mr. Markle was
a man of kind heart and social disposition, and his death was much
deplored by those who intimately knew him. He was a native of Penn-
sylvania, a college classmate, graduating with James G. Blaine, which
had made him a strong supporter of the latter for the Presidency four

JOURNALISM IN ROCKLAND COUNTY. 263

years previous. He lacked business capacity, however, and failed to
cope successfully with his political rival, the Journal.

During Colonel Messervey's illness Joseph T. Kelly acted as editor
of City and Country, but on the 12th of November, 1888, it was pur-
chased by William R. Thompson, of Spring Valley, who assumed
charge himself.

The Chronicle was sold to Austin Decker on November 21st, and
on December 6th the establishment was bought by A. C. Haeselbarth,
who had been jjlaced in control of the Journal by the company that
now owned it, and thus a troublesome rival was extinguished.

About the middle of December, 1888, J. T. Kelly leased the Inde-
pendent Advertiser, enlarged the paper and called it the Eockland
( 'oimty Democrat. M. F. Ouderdonk remained as foreman of the estab-
lishment for a year.

Adam C. Haeselbarth, who was now editor of the Journal, Dr.
Green having died, was a son of W. G. Haeselbarth, its founder. On
May 6th, 1889, Nyack's first daily paper, the Nyack Evening Journal,
was started by A. C. Haeselbarth from this office. It was issued every
afternoon and sold for two cents a copy at first and one cent afterward,
and met with sufiicient support to fairly establish it in the commvmity.
This event marks another era in the history of Nyack journalism. It
threw the weekly papers in the background, as far as news was con-
cerned; and, when, a little later, the second daily was started, the two
dailies had the field almost to themselves.

The Democrat, after running a year, was, on January 1st, 1890,
bought by Frank P. Demarest, Kelly remaining as editor and publisher.

It will thus be seen that there was a steady progress made in jour-
nalism in Nyack for the first forty yeai's at least. With the increase
of population the number of publications increased, and with a few
exceptions, maintained a firm foothold. Enlargements, increase of cir-
culation, and the spirit of enterprise, occasionally manifested, sen'ed to
give Nyack quite a I'eputation as a newspaper town. It is a fact, how-
ever, that while the managers aimed to give their readers large sheets
of reading matter, quantities of county and village news, there was
generally a deplorable lack of care as to the literary excellence of the
weeklies. This fault prevailed more during the years after stereotype
plate was introduced.

264 HI3TORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

On January 1st, 1891, A. C. Haeselbarth withdrew from the Jour-
nal, and the establishment was sold to the Helmle Bi'others, practical
newspaper men from Brooklyn, who put a vast amount of energy into
their business, and gave the Journal a metropolitan air, making many
improvements in the paper and carrying it on successfully. Mr. George
E. lielmle is the editor and manager. Aai-on W. VanKeuren, who had
been connected with the paper for over twenty years, as a local writer,
was retained. His knowledge of the town bv almost life-long residence,
together %\ith his long experience in editorial woi'k, and talent as a
writer, made his services of much value. Alexander Y. Hudson, who
had been foreman for over thirty-five years, soon after resigned. Of
these brothers, Mr. George B. lielmle remained as editor.

Early in the following year Adam C. Haeselbarth induced "William
R. Thompson, of City and Country, to start a second evening daily;
and the first mimber of the Nyack Evening Star appeared on June 27th,
1892, with A. C. Haeselbarth as city editor. Mr. Haeselbartli was a
smooth and graceful writer and possessed a vein of humor that charac-
terized much of his work.

Nyack now had two daily and two weekly papers, the Democrat
having expired. The latter had flourished under Onderdonk's man-
agement, and after J. T. Kelly left, a number of would-be piibllshcrs
attempted to keep it going, but no one succeeded. Finally the sheriff
succeeded in closing its doors and the material was shipped to Haver-
straw. The Mirror, a sixteen-page literary paper, was issued from the
Democrat ofRce in 1891, but it only lasted a few months. Theodore
Moore was its editor and publisher.

In 1897 the Christian and Missionary Alliance, having established
themselves on Xyack Heights, a printing house was built and their
monthly religious journal was issued therefrom, under the editorial
management of I\ev. A. B. Simpson. In the same year, 1897, a t,>^>e-
setting machine was added to the Star oifice, thus doing away with a
great deal of hand-setting. Linotype machines were also placed in the
Alliance office.

A few years after the Star was started, A. C. Haeselbarth withdrew
from the editorial work and Frank B. Knapp took his place as city
editor. Mr. Knapp was a young man who had at first entered the office

JOURNALISM IN ROCKLAND COUNTY. 265

as a compositor, but who proved by bis ability and tact in the presenta-
tion of news to be specially qualified for the position to which he s\ic-
cceded, and which he still liolds. On October 18th, 1899, a stock com-
pany was foniier, known as the "Star Publishing Company of Nyack,
N. Y." The officers and directf>rs for the fii"st year were: Harry L.
Thompson, President; William J\. Thompson, Vice-President, and Al-
fred Themans, Secretary and Treasurer. In November, 1901, William
P. Thompson withdrew from the company. In January, 1902, the di-
rectorate was increased and the following were elected: E. V. Loew,
President; C. V. A. Blauvelt, Vice President; John D. Blauvelt, J. W.
Dalley and A. Themans, Secretary and Treasurer. Mr. Themans has
the general managejuent of the company.

At the present time the offices of the two dailies are well equipped
with machinery for book and newspaper work and stand far ahead of
any othei-s between Newburgh and Xew York. The "Star" is an up-to-
date office and shows what wonderful improvements have been made
since the founder of the business, Eobert Carpenter, labored at the old-
fashioned hand press, in pulling the bar, not only for every copy of the
newsixaper, biit for everything that was printed — even to a small busi-
ness card. Mr. Carpenter was a practical printer, attending to all the
details of the office work, strict on time, and economical in the extreme,
but no more honest man ever picked up a type. As a writer he only
wrote as far as he was obliged to of the local news of the day.

At the close of the centmy a glance through Rockland coxinty shows
that several weekly newspapers had evolved from the numerous jiatent-
sheets and bid fair to become permanent. They seemed at that date to
have obtained a foothold in the villages and rural districts througliout
the county.

A weekly paper, known as the Orangetown News, had been run-
ning for some time previous to 1901, when Mr. William W. W^hyard,
of Xyack, bought tlie concern in the fall of 1901, and under the new
management it soon obtained a reputation for the oi'iginal, humorous
and attractive style of its contents, and gave promise of coming to stay.

266 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

THE EOMAN CATHOLIC CHUECH IN ROCKLAND COUNTY.

It is only from the second quarter of the past century that the Roman
Catholic Church dates its history in Eockhmd county, but from that
time to the present its archi\'es tell a story of steady growth and progress
tliat fully compensates for the lack of Catholic participation in the early
days of the county.

There is no record that there were those of the Catholic faith among
the early settlers who first tilled the virgin soil of the regions now
embraced in the limits of Rockland county, but that there were some| we
have no doubt. However, their numbers were probably few and their
homes scattered, as we find no evidences of Catholic aid in the early
shaping of the county's destiny.

The historian is led back to the year 1832, when John DuBois,
Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in New York, purchased of the
heirs of William Perry one hundred and sixty-two acres of land in what
is now Upper Nyack. The land was pleasantly situated along the river
front and extended up to the top of the Hook Mountain. The Bishop's
purpose was to erect a seminary building for the education of priests
and a church wherein the Catholics of the community could worship.
Father McGeary supervised the construction of the Imilding at first, but
was later succeeded by Father Marshall.

While the seminary was being erected Father John McCloskey, who
later became Archbishop of New York, and the first American Cardinal,
was appointed pastor of the mission. It is interesting to note that the
first mass in Rockland county was said in the old house near the "'Green
Mansion," on Broadway, Upper Nyack. In this house was also opened
a school, under charge of Father McCloskey. Such was the humble
beginning of Catholicism in our county, which to-day boasts of so many
splendid edifices dedicated to the faith.

After five years of work the seminary building neared completion.
It was a three-story brown stone stnicture, eighty feet long and fiu-ty
feet deep, comprising a central building and two wings. When there
only remained the interior fittings to be finished, a fire liroke out at noon

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN ROCKLAND COUNTY. 267

one day in the south wing, and, spreading, totally destroyed the entire
structure. Bishop DuBois believed that the destiiiction of the seminary
was the work of an incendiary, and, becoming disheartened, he sold the
property at a sacrifice, giving up his well laid plans. By a thorough and
impartial investigation, it has been proven since that the burning was
the result of a careless workman's act, and not through design, as the
good Bishop, in his bitter disappointment, thought.

About thirty years passed before Catholic services were again held in
the comity. Those of the faith were at a great disadvantage, as to attend
church services they were compelled to travel either to Vei-planck's
Point, near Peekskill, or to Jersey City.

THE CHUECH AT HAVERSTEAW.

In the year 1843 mass was celebrated in the house of Patrick Eiley,
ai Ilaverstraw, by Father Volamus. Shortly after this tlie Catholics of
Ilaverstraw organized and purchased land for a building. On Sunday,
Xovembcr 14, 1847, the church was opened for services and in 1849 it
was dedicated by Bishop Hughes. In the history of Ilaverstraw in tliis
volume is given a detailed account of the growth and present condition of
this parish.

ST. JOHN'S CHUECH AT PIEEMONT.

In 1848 the Eev. Francis McKeone was appointed the first pastor
of the Haverstraw Church and was given charge of all the Catholics
then in Eockland county. He did not confine his labors to Haverstraw,
but sought to widen his influence in other parts of the county. Through
his efforts a congregation was formed in Piermont and regular meetings
were held in the old Odd Fellows' Hall. Thought was soon given to
the erection of a proper place of worship, and, as a result, land wis ]^ur-
chased on the north side of the creek, nearly opposite the present
Eeformed Church. Work was begun on a building in J 85], and on
January 1, 1852, the first mass was celebrated in the edifice, amid great
rejoicing on the part of the Catholic population. A few months later,
on July 1, the Eev. John Quinn was appointed pastor at Piennont, his
parish including all the coimty south of Haverstraw, and, of course, tak-
ing in Nyack. This arrangement proved satisfactory for nine years,
but as the Catholics of Nyack grew in number they complained of the

268 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

distance tliey liacl to travel to worship, and wlien the shops of the Eric
R. R. Company were located in Piermont, there was s\ich an increase
in the Catholic congregation that the original edifice proved inadeqnate.
A change of location was rendered necessary, and so the land on Avhii-h
the present St. John's Church stands was procured. In 1860 work wa.s
commenced on a new clmrch, but when the building was raised and
ready to be roofed, a great storm felled the walls to the ground. This
was a hard blow to the congregation, but courage was not lacking.
Work was re-commenced with new vigor and on August 13, 18G1, mass
was said in the new edifice. The present pastor is the Rev. P. J. O'Meara,
who is both efficient and popular.

ST. ANN'S CHURCH.

The dissatisfaction of Nyack Catholics at the inconvenience they
were put to led them to organize for the purpose of having a chnrcli of
their own. Religious services were held regiilarly, beginning in lS(i5,
in the building on the comer of Main and Bridge streets. By 1867 the
congregation was strong enough to purchase four lots of ground on Jef-
ferson street, which is the nucleus of the pi"esent magnificent chiircli
property. The erection of a church, to be known as St. Ann's, was
begun, and on January 1, 1869, first mass was celebrated in it by Rev.
John (Juinn. This beloved pastor labored for twenty-three and a half
yeai-s among his people, and largely through his efforts the churches at
Nyack, Sufl'ern and Spring Valley were organized and built, and the
lilauvelt Church added. Father Quin died in 1875. His assistant, Rev.
W. L. Penny, was appointed rector of St. Ann's and St. John's Churches
by Cardinal ]\rcCloskey. In 1885 St. Ann's became practically an inde-
pendent parish, in that year the pastoral residence being removed to the
rectory, adjoining the church. The parish grew and prospered, taking
the lead over the mother parish at Piermont. Father Penny was
appointed irremovable rector of St. Patrick's Church, Newburgh, in
1S!)(». He was succeeded by the present rector, the Rev. James L.
Crosby, who began his pastorate with the energy and hard work tliat
has since characterized it. In December, 1891, he purchased for the
church the house and gToimds of the Rev. Frank Babbitt, adjoining the
properties of St. Ann's and Grace Episcopal Church. In September,
1892, he opened a primary parochial school in the house purchased from

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN ROCKLAND COUNTY. 269

the Ilev. Mr. Babbitt, on Franklin sti-eet, wliicb was placed under the
charge of Sister Mary Edwine and three associate Sisters of Charity.
Soon after the opening of the school the donation of Miss Hacket, to be
applied to the erection of a church, was received. The receipt of this
donation gaA^e the pastor lioj^e. that what he long thonght necessary wonld
be accomplished. He had long felt the necessity of more cluirch accom-
modation for the Catholics of JSTyack, especially in the summer season,
when so many strangers sojourn at that place. He was seconded in his
efforts by his parishioners, who, though poor, were exceedingly generous;
but it was the mimificence of the Marquise de San Marzano that made
the hope of the pastor a reality. While the church was in coui-se of con-
struction, ground Avas broken in the early spring of 1894 for the erection
of a two-story school house, forty feet by sixty feet, which adjoins old
St. Ann's, on the south, and which was oisened in Scpieiid)er, fully
furnished and equipped for educational purposes, under charge of Sister
Mary Edwine and four associate Sisters of Charity.

On Sunday, June l(i, 1895, the new church was consecrated with im-
posing ceremonies. According to the Eomau Catholic ritual, no church
can be consecrated until it is entirely free from debt. This was the case
upon the completion of the church and it remains so until this day. Not
only the church but the entire gi'oup of buildings devoted to religious
and educational pui-poses are free of debt. This result is due to the busi-
ness ability and untiring devotion of Father Crosby. It is not strange
that he is beloved by his people. The church was consecrated by the
!Mo8t Rev. Archbishop Corrigan, assisted by the Very Rev. Dean Penny,
Rev. Father Colton, Rev. James S. Fenton, Rev. Wm. Crosby, Rev. M.
Connolly and six Jesuit priests from the Chm'cli of St. Francis Xavier,
New York.

ST. ROSE CHURCH OF LIMA.

For many years the Catholics in the vicinity of Suffern had to go
to either Paterson, N. J., Greenwood, Orange county, or Piennont,
except upon occasions when Father Quinn held services in the house of
William Cannon. However, in 1868, a site was donated by George W.
Suffern and the present edifice was erected. Rev. John Brogan was
the first pastor and in 1870 was succeeded by Rev. James Quinn. Rev.
Father Mcrridith is the present pastor.

270 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

Abovit the year 1847 the Catholics of Tomkins Cove were wont to
worshij:) in the old store where resided an Irishman named John Mc-
Grath. Mass was celebrated there about once a mouth by Father Mc-
Keon of the Haverstraw parish. He was succeeded by Rev. Father
Ten-ence Scullen, who also celebrated mass on Sundays in the house of
John Coffray, for the benefit of those living in the vicinity. This con-
dition existed for a number of years, but in the year 1861 a sepai-ate
organization called Church of the Immaculate Conception was perfected
and the present building erected under the guidance of Rev. Father
Mahoney. He and his successor, Rev. Father Baxter, ministered per-
iodically to the people until the year 1886, when the Rev. J. P. Bren-
nan was appointed the first resident pastor. He was succe-eded by Rev.
Michael J. McElroy and he in tiirn by Rev. Richard J. Keefe and the
present pastor. Rev. James Jackson. In the year 1899 the Catholics of
tirassy Point then attached to the Haverstraw parish were organized into
a separate body by the Rev. Father Baxter, of St. Peter's Church of
Haverstraw, under the name of St. Joseph's, and a handsome church
edifice was erected. This organization was set off from St. Peter's par-
ish soon after and placed under Rev. Father McEvoy of the Tomkins
Cove parish. Since this was effected the Tomkins Cove and Grassy
Point churches have been imder common control, the pastor ministering
each Sunday at each church. The parish is in a flourishing condition
generally.

ST. CATHERINE'S CHURCH.

In 1868 a society of Catholics at what was then Blauvcltvillc began
the erection of a church. George M. Ledigcr donated four acres of land
and on January 17, 1869, the church was finished and dedicated. Most
of the communicants were Gennans, who at first attended services
in the Piermont church, but being slightly acqiiainted with the English
lang-uage, they were at a disadvantage, and, too, the distance they had
to travel was great. In their new church services were held in their
native tongue. The church was supplied from New York until 1870,
when Rev. Joseph Bruhy became pastor. He remained as such \mtil
May 1st, 1874, when he died. For aboiit two years Rev. Emil Stcnzel
was pastor, after which Rev. W. L. Penny and Rev. P. J. O'Meara

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN ROCKLAND COUNTY. 271

atteuded to the needs of tlie congregation. Eev. Nicholas Sorg was
pastor fi'om February', 1887, to March, 1879, when he was succeeded by
Rev. M. Kuhnen. Father Saur is the present rector and also chaplain of
the Dominican Convent.

ST. AGNES' CHURCH.

The untiring Father Qiiinn became convinced in 1868 that the Cath-
olics of Spring Valley were niimeroi;s and strong enough to waiTaiit a
church of their own, so accordingly the fovmdations of an edifice were
laid. However, it proA'ed that their strength had been over estimated,
as the work dragged. For a time it was discontinued and then it slowl_y
advanced. In 1880 the church was declared completed.

In the year 1895 the Rev. John G. McCormack Avas assigned as rec-
tor of St. Agnes' Church, Spring Valley, and also of P.ardonia and Pearl
River by Archbishop Corrigan. His predecessor. Rev. Father Hughes,
was the first resident rector of St. Agnes' Church and the founder of
the Catholic parish in Bardonia and Pearl River.

The Rev. Father McCormack is a native of New England and a son
of the late John McCormack, a successful builder in Newport, R. I. He
came to New York in 1880 as a j'ouug man and entered St. Francis
Xavier College, and saibsequently entered upon his divinity course at
Niagara University, where he was, after the regular course demanded by
the Catholic Church, ordained to the Catholic priopthood. Tlie Rev.
Father McConnack is a man of about thirty-nine or forty years and is
remarkable for his restless energy and execntive ability, as is qviite man-
ifest in his success in his church interests in Rockland county. When
he assumed charge of his present church he found the Spring Valley par-
ish encumbered with an indebtedness of $10,000 to $12,000, with a con-
gregation too small in number to control it. The reverend gentleman
inimediately set to work, and, by his collecting tours in New York c'ty
and assisted by the co-operation of his people, not only mastered the debt,
but improved the property to the value of several thousand dollars, estab-
lishing at the same time the nucleus for the fund for building a church
at Bardonia.

At his request the latter fund and charge was turned over to the
Rev. Mr. Mulhearn, then rector of the Catholic Church at Congers.
Later the Rev. Mr. McCormack purchased a valuable tract of land on

272 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Serveu's Hill, Pearl Eiver, and erected a beautiful Catholic Church,
"St. Margaret's," for the use of the Catholics in that section. This
church was dedicated by Archbishop Corrigan in September, 1901,
assisted by many Catholic dignitaries. During Father McCormack's
time in Rockland county he has won the respect and esteem of its cit-
izens iiTespective of religious belief, and has ever enlisted himself by
voice and j)en in all things conducive to the welfare of the community.
As a ready talker, a finished conversationalist and an eloquent preacher,
together with his business ability, he has done much to advance not only
the interests of his own people, but as well to promote in general good
citizenship, and all that tends to the advancement of the county.

ST. PAUL'S CHURCH.

In the year 1S94, St. Paul's Church was erected at Congers, on the
Lake road. Rev. J. J. Mulhearn was the first pastor. The present pas-
tor is the Rev. John Nageleiscn, who was bora in Pequa, Ohio, August
27, 1S()1, and was educated in the Seminary of the Arch-Diocese of Cin-
cinnatti. He made his theological studies there also, and was ordained
priest in 1885. From 1885 to 1887 he was Professor of Philosophy in
this institution, when failing health prevailed upon him to take up par-
ish work, for four yeai-s. Recovering his health, he was appointed Pro-
fessor of Languages in St. Joseph's College, Indiana. He was stationed
there for five years. At the expiration of this period he again took up
parish work in the Arch-diocese of Cincinnatti for one year, and in 1S07
he was appointed to St. Boniface, at Second avenue and Forty-second
street, New York city, and in 1898 to the rectorship of St. Paul's, at
Congers, I^. Y. During these years of priesthood Father Xageleisen
has been doing in a very qiiiet and unobtnisive manner a work that has
made him well known in the Catholic world. Active and energetic in
his methods, master of several languages, a writer with the simplicity
of cradition, acquainted with many branches of science, and still eager
to learn. Father Nageleisen is highly reverenced and respected by his
parishioners and the public. During his pastorate at St. Paul's he has
built three churches, these at New City, Rockland Lake and Bardonia,
named respectively St. Augustine's, St. Michael's and St. Anthony's.
He has also vastly improved the suiToundings of St. Paxil's at Congers,
jST. Y. During his pastorate at St. Paul's he has not accepted any salary.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 273

CHAPTER XVI.
TOWN OF IIAVERSTKAW.

The precinct of Haverstraw was set off from Orangotown on the 24th
of June, 1719, after the principal free-holders and inhabitants of Haver-
straw had petitioned for the separation, giving as a reason their great
distance from Tappan. Under the provisions of the Act of the General
Assembly the first election for precinct officers was held on the first Tues-
day of April, 1720, when one Super\'isor, one Collector, two Assessoi-s,
one Constable and two Commissioners of Highways were chosen. The
boundaries of the new precinct were indicated with an indefiniteness
characteristic of the age: "From the northciinost bounds of Tappan to
the uorthennost boimds of Haverstraw" was the official description. The
popiilation comprised scarcely one hundred families. A considerable
nixmber, if not the majority, resided in a district in the central part of
the precinct, called at first Kakiat, an abre\'iation of an Indian name
(Kackyachtaweke). The land contained in that district had been
granted by patent in 1696 to Daniel Honan and Michael Howdon. Some
of the families who settled themselves there came from Orangetown;
others from Hempstead, Long Island. During the years immediately
preceding the erection of the precinct there was a steady in-coming of
settlers, but the county, though richly endowed by !N^aturc, was still a
wilderness.

When Michael Howden died, about 1711, his executors sold off his
half of the tract, in parcels of 400 acres cacli in most cases, to John Alli-
son, Charles Mott, Elbert Montfort, William Hutchins, Cornelius Cuy-
per, Thomas Kirbie, Thomas Barker, Jacob Remsen, Richard Combs,
William Campbell, John Palmer, Tinmtliy Halstead, John Wood,
George Downing, Jonathan Seaman, Jonathan Rose, Abraham Denton,
Nicholas Conklin, William Osborn and Richard Pierce.

Daniel Honan sold his half of the Kakiat patent in 17 16 to John
McEvors, who in turn sold half of what he had to Lancaster Symes, iu
1717. Symes sold off pieces before his death in 1723, and his widow
and son disposed of the remainder.

274 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Thus were tlic fertile lands in the central ]inrt of the precinct taken
up. Other patents were parceled out in much the same way, and by
1738 the number of inhabitants in the precinct had increased to G34.
The DeHarte patent on the river shore after passing through various
hands came finally into the possession of John Allison and John De-
K^oyelles. Allison bought his half of the patent from Albert Minnie in
1729. This is part of the Cnim Patent. Upon the death of John Alli-
son, in 1754, his lands passed to his son Joseph; and when John DeNoy-
ellcs died, in 1775, his real estate fell to his sons John and Peter. The
Allison residence had a commanding situation on the river-bank, twenty
rods north of the present Main street. The southern boundary of the
fann in part corresponded to our present SoTith street. The estate was a
pleasant one to gaze upon, with its level fields and groves of great trees.
The DeNoyelles homestead was situated near the shore (about opposite
the middle of the present cofferdam), north of Kiers' dock, which was
near the foot of the Short, Clove. The King's Highway, corresponding in
part to West street and Broadway, ran along the river bank, past the
DeNoyelles dwelling and between the storehouse and the dwelling of
Major Kiers to the Long Clove, and thence on through the mountains.
John DeNoyelles erected this dwelling about the year 1771. Mr.
DelNoyelles was a member of the Pro^^ncial Assembly at the time of his
death. He was then but 41 years old. The old DeXoyelles burying
ground received his remains. Of Huguenot origin, he was an uncom-
promising advocate of independence and liberty, political and religious.
He bought the south part, of the DeHarte patent from the heirs of Cor-
nelius Cuyper in 1769. The family residence was burned down by a
marauding party from a British fleet on the night of June 20, 1781. A
new home was built close by, by Peter DelSToyelles, and it was here that
the early Methodists of this section met for religious purposes. Tlie
wife of Peter was a daughter of Theodore Snedeker. They had seven
sons and five daughters, who, when they grew to manhood and woman-
hood, made family connections with the Harings, Theills, Smiths, Coes
and Lawrences.

From the southern part of the Allison farm ten acres were sold in
Joseph Allison's time to Thomas Smith and Juhn Shepherd. Smith was
a lawyer and a brother of Joshua Hett Smith. Before he died, in 1795,
he said he would give the Methodists a site for a church whenever they

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 275

should need it, and this promise was honored by his son William. Shep-
herd was a Revolutionary captain. The ten-acre lot was bounded by
lines corresponding to Main street on the north, Front street on the east,
South street on the south and West street on the west. This tract is
important because it was the site of the original village — the first plot
to be laid out in streets and house lots.

At the close of the Revolution many families from elsewhere sought
homes in this county, and the precinct of Haverstraw received no small
portion of the increase. In 1790 the number of inJialntants had grown
to 4,826. The title of "Precinct" was retained until 1788, when by an
act of the Legislature that divided the counties of this State into towns,
Haverstraw became a township.

The next important change came in 1791 (March 18), when the towns
of Clarkstown and ISTew Hempstead (now Ramapo) were erected and set
off from Haverstraw. With two-thirds of her former population and
three-foiTrths of her original territory gone, Haverstraw began life anew
in greatly reduced circumstances. Even the towTi records were taken, so
that there is nothing back of 1791 on the official books. The whole num-
ber of families left in the toAvn after the partition was less than two hun-
dred. There was one church, the First Presbyterian, which stood on
the hill west of Benson's Corners. Half a dozen mills, as many forges,
a few taverns, tanneries and stores, were the extent of the business inter-
ests apart from agriculture. Peck & Ramsey's mill, in the present Gar-
nerville, and Herman's, near Minnie's Falls, were the principal grist
mills. John I. Moutanye ran a saw mill. Prominent fanners and land-
owners, living north and northwest of the Allison farm, were : Captain
Lamb, John Crom, John Armstrong, John Waldron, Jacob Waldron,
Alexander Crom, Benjamin Coe, Samuel Brewster, Thomas Smith, Wil-
liam Smith, Robert Henry, Jacob Roosa, Thomas Hays, Abraham Wal-
dron, Matthew Benson, Benjamin Benson, Thomas Brewster, John
Johnston, Jr., Jacob Sabriska, Benjamin Blagg, Ebenezer Bishop, Wil-
liam Peck, James Ramsey, Nathaniel Dubois, Isaac Gumee, Francis
Gumee, Henry Halstead, Caleb Seaman, Thomas Kemp, Capt. Tobias
Denmdc, Gilbert Phillips, David Burns, Michael Hay, Ebenezer Bishop,
Thomas ISTorth, George Lee, Samuel Goetchius, William Byron, Peter
Bi-ush, William Carr, Royal Flint, Jacob Theills, John Suffern, Cor-
nelius DeGraw, Mordicai Mott, John Springsteen, Isaac Babcock.

276 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

John Waklron aud his brother Jacob, John Armstrong and John
Crom were niamed to daughters of Capt. James Lamb, who was a Tory
during the Revolution. CajDtain Lamb's wife was a daughter of Her-
cules Lent, who owned large tracts of land now embraced in Stony Point
town. Half of this estate fell to Mrs. Lamb, besides which Capt. Lamb
inherited large tracts from his father, Jacob. Colonel Abraham Lent, of
the Orangetown militia regiment, was a brother of Mrs. Lamb. John
Crom resided at the junction of the road to Stony Point and the road to
the west on the Crom Patent, near a large black walnut tree, under
which the soldiers of a Continental army that was then in this yicinity
once receiyed the money due them. John Crom died in 1795, and his
son John was the last Crom to own any part of the original fanii. Rob-
ert Henry's farm lay between Floras Falls and the Crom farm. It was
a part of the Henry farm that George Weiant afterward bought. Jacob
Waldron resided on the north side of Floras Falls, in a house still stand-
ing, but not in its original place. Upon the site once occupied by John
Waldron's home the William H. Rose mansion was reared. The Stony
Point promontory was owned in the Waldron family during the Revo-
lution. Samuel Brewster was interested in iron mines and forges, and
lived near Tomkins Cove, in a pretty place on the river bank, long ago
dug away. A small grist mill stood on the brook that ran near the dwell-
ing. The seat of the Coe family was near the present Mount Ivy station
of the N. J. and N. Y. railroad. Benjamin Coe was the first Supervisor
of the town after the partition of 1791. He had been twice sent to the
State Assembly. His father, John Coe, had been a member of the Pro-
vincial Congress, as well as County Judge. The neighborhood was also
locally kno^\^l as Gurnee's Corners. The land of Francis Gurncc joined
Benjamin Coe's. Joseph Theill's home was at Theill's Corners, where
he had a forge and grist mill, and where in after years a hamlet with
church and post office grew up. Mr. Theill owned about three thousand
acres, half of which was mountain land. He was a native of Denmark.
His death occurred about 1795, when he was aboiit 75 years of age.
He left a son named John, born about 1770, who married Mar\', daugh-
ter of Ebenezer McKenzie, who was a soldier of the Revolution. Mr.
McKenzie was born in the Highlands of Scotland. On coming to this
country, he landed first on N^antucket Island, and from there came to
Stony Point in 1776. He was a sergeant in the First Massachusetts Reg-

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 277

iment of the Continental Line during the war, served six years and nine
months and was discharged at Newburgh, June 10, 1783. Mr. Hennan
B. McKenzie of Haverstraw village is his grandson.

Thomas Smith resided in the "Treason House," and William Smith
was his son and the donor of the first Methodist Church site. In still
later years William Smith erected a fine mansion on the river-bank near
Grassy Point, on land formerly o^\^led by Jacob Sabriska. Mr. Smith
was a lawyer with an office in Xcw York, and this was his country-seat.
As "Rosa Villa" the estate was long and widely known, but like some
other homes on Haverstraw Bay it fell a prey to the brick industry.
Thomas Smith gave a lot on Calico Hill to the early Presbyterians as a
site for a church and school house. Thus, there are reasons apart from
the Arnold and Andre affair why the people of Haverstraw should
remember the Smith family. The dwelling of Ebenezer Bishop stood
at the corner of the main road to Stony Point and the road running past
the church.

The church was built in 1790. The following year an agree-
ment was signed that the Baptists should make certain repairs to the
edifice and thereafter have the privilege of using it on alternate Sab-
baths with the Presbyterians. David Bums was the Town Clerk in
1791. His father, the Eev. Robert Burns, died in that year, aged 84,
and his body was interred in the family plot on the homestead near Gar-
nerville. The Rev. Robert Bums was the first minister to have a dwell-
ing in Haverstraw town. Families long settled in the to\vn had private
burying grounds, the DeXoyelles, Allison and Waldron graveyards being
instances. With the Waldrons were buried some of the Weiants, Brew-
sters. Goes, Bulsons and Goetchiuses. Mrs. Jacob Waldron lived to be
10.3 years old, dying in 1844. Samuel Brewster died in 1821, aged 84.
Jacob Waldron died in 1805, aged 67. Abram Waldron died in 1815,
aged 45. Most of the old family graveyards have been blotted out of
existence. The site of the first church in the town is indicated by a
neglected graveyard.

The first town meeting after the partition of the old town of Haver-
straw was held at the house of David Bums on the 3rd of April, 1791.
The follo^ving town officers were elected: Supervisor, Benjamin Coe;
Town Clerk, David Bums; Assessors, Jacob Waldron, Matthew Ben-
son, Peter D. DeXoyclles; Collector, Nathaniel Dubois; Commissioners

278 HISTORY OF ROCKI<AND COUNTY.

of Roads, Jacob Waldron, Thomas !N^ortli, Benjamin Coe; Overseei's of
the Poor, Cai^t. Tobias Derunde, Capt. Peter Allison; Constable, Gabriel
Conkling; Fence Viewers, Isaac Gumee, John Crom; District Eoad-
masters, Benjamin Coe, Thomas Smith, Peter DeNoyelles, Henry Hal-
stead, Caleb Seaman, Thomas Kemp, Zebulon Williams; Isaac Gumee,
Capt. Tobias Derunde, Thomas North, Gilbert Phillips.

Benjamin Coe was elected Supervisor every year until 1800, when
Peter DeNoyelles was chosen in his stead. David Burns held the office
of Town Clerk until 1805, when Nathaniel Dubois was elected in
his place.

The educational facilities conformed to the requirments of the age.
Mention is made in the proceedings of the Highway Commissioners,
under date of 1796, of a school house near Francis Gurnee's. Another
was situated near Garnerville. The next reference to the schools in tJie
town records was made in the year 1813, when, pursuant to a new State
law, the town was divided into six school districts. By 1817 three of
these had disiippeared. The districts remaining were called No. 1, No.
3 and No. 4. District No. 1 extended from Grassy Point to Clarkstowu,
and from the river west to a north and south line through Halstead
Gurnee's mill dam. District No. 3 was the present West Haverstraw
and Garnerville section. District No. 2, which had given up its school,
was situated north of No. 1. The children of that district now attended
schools No. 1 and No. 3. The number of children enrolled in District
No. 1 was 130; in District No. 3, 129; in District No. 4, 177. Another
school, No. 5, was built in 1820. By 1828 the number of schools had
been increased to six.

The most important improvements in the early history of the town-
ship were connected with the laying out of new roads and the altering of
old ones. The records regarding these are numerous, though not very
intelligible at this day. They evince a progressive spirit in the fathers,
as well as a steadily increasing population for the town. The road dis-
tricts of the town in 1827 were twenty-three in number. Among the
early Commissioners of Highways were Benjamin Coe, Matthew Ben-
son; Jacob Waldron, Thomas North, Samuel Goetchius, David Burns,
Nathaniel Dubois, Peter DeNoyelles, Andrew Suffem, Samuel Brewster,
George Lee. It was the general practice of the people to pomiit their
cattle to roam at large. This was the consequence of a deficiency in

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 279

fences. The cows carried certain private ear-marks by which tliey were
Icnown to their owners. The "car-marks" were registered at the Town
Clerk's office. One owner is on record as refusing to brand his cattle
because of conscientious sciiiples.

Many slaves were owned in the town at the beginning of the century.
Among the holders were Peter DeNoyelles, Matthew Benson, Elizabeth
Smith, Samuel Goetschius, Stephen March, William Denning, Thomas
Hay, Resolvent Waldron, Jacob Waldron, John UelSfoyelles, Walter T.
Smith, Michael Hay, Peter Allison, John D. Clark, Robert Henr)',
Andrew Suft'ern, George Campbell, James Brewster, Samuel Smith and
Thomas Smith.

On election days polls were open at three places in the town. In
1810 the voting places were Burns's tavern, at Mead's Comers; Post's
tavern, which stood on the site of Denton Fowler's residence on Front
street, and the dwelling house of Aaron DeCamp, at Stony Point. Town
meetings had been held at Burns's from the earliest times.

At the beginning of the nineteenth centuiy the population of the
entire town of Haverstraw was 1,229, including slaves. The DeNoyelles
and Allison farms, covering the larger part of the present village of Hav-
erstraw, were substantially intact, except for the ten-acre lot that had
passed to William Smith. Only one building stood on this lot and that
was the tavern at "Martling's Corner." Another tavern, kept by Mr.
Post, stood on the site now occupied by Denton Fowler's residence. A
dwelling occupied by Mrs. Green (near the present Suffern home) and
Judge DeNoyelles's dwelling, south of Post's tavern, were the only other
houses in the neighborhood. Four in all, and all on the line of the pres-
ent Front street. Back from the river and along the main road (the
King's Highway) were but four houses between Martling's corner and
Gurnee's mill. The principal commercial outlet was Captain DejSToy-
elles' landing, below Martling's comer. Several sloops ran from this
wharf to New York. There was a back country trade, important even
then, in the year 1800, and destined in succeeding years to increase to
large proportions. Iron industries were springing up in the Raniapo
Clove, for which Haverstraw was the most accessible port. Until 1830
the larger part of the output of these works were hauled to Haverstraw
by teams and shipped from here in sloops. The inland transportation
was favored by a good road. It was this back country trade, and not

280 HISTORY OF ROCKL,AND COUNTY.

forces contained iu Ilaverstraw itself, wliicli gave the village its first
impetus. Haverstraw town itself had no exporting industries of distinc-
tive importance, except in cordwood and iron ore from the mountains.
The village, however, was a natural shipping point and market town for
the country to the west, and until that commerce was cut ofi^ the place
thrived. It is said that when one door of opportunty closes, another
opens; Ilaverstraw has found it so.

Perceiving that there was a demand for home sites by men con-
nected with trade and transportation, William Smith, in 1803, caused
his ten-acre tract to be laid out in streets and building lots, employing for
that purpose a Nyack surveyor named Tunis Smith. This village plot
was bounded by Main, Front, South and West streets. Probably the
proprietor himself selected the names for the streets. It is regretted
that he did not choose better ones. During the first decade of the cen-
tury Haverstraw town inci-eased fifty per cent in population, not a little
of it being represented by the growth of the village. The notable
improvments of the period were the building of the Methodist Episcopal
Church and the "Academy," both in 1810. The first teacher in the
school was Mr. Quinn, who married one of his pupils, Miss Eliza Wan-
dell, who was the last survivor of the multitude that \vitnessed the
execution of Major Andre. The Wandell family moved here from Tap-
jia.n in 1794, when the site of the village was a rye field. Commerce
increasing, John Allison built a dock north of ]\Iain street in 1812.
Three years later the foundation of the present brick industry was laid
by James Wood.

Mr. Ileman B. McKenzie, who was born in West street, in 1822,
remembers distinctly the Ilaverstraw village of his boyhood. He first
.saw the light in the house that had been the residence of Michael Trout,
who was a fifer in the Revolution, and whose widow died while kneeling
in prayer in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Main street as Mr. ^Ic-
Kenzie first knew it contained but four houses on the south side, and two
dwellings, two stores and three barns on the north side. On the corner
now oceiTpied by the United States Hotel Samuel G. Johnson kept a har-
ness shop and tavern. Johnson was succeeded by Isaac ilartling, a tav-
ern keeper. The building was burned in 1850. On the opposite comer
lived Captain John Felter, who owned a dock at the foot of Main street,
and also owned the sloop "John Felter." Eugene Smith then kept the

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 281

Union Hotel. It was here that the Masonic Lodge first met. Opposite
lived John Van Dyke, father-in-law of the hotel proprietor. At the cor-
ner of j\lain and West streets was the house of Abram Marks; on the
corner ojiposite, on the north side of Main, was the general store and post
office of Marks A: Sherwood. On the corner of Main and Fonrtli Walter
Sniitli lived and kept store.

Among the early residents of Front street, south of Main, were Gil-
I>ert Furman, Garret Allison, who had a large shipyard on the beach
in front of his house; C-apt. Jolm DeGroat, John T. Smith, a lawyer;
Ivalpli Van Iloutcn, who kept a small store and public house, and Capt.
Edward DeXoyelles. The DeXoyelles had a dock and store, besides a
sloop, the "J. G. Pierson," which carried the product of the Ramapo iron
works to New York. The store was at the end of the street, which here
turned and met West street. On the turn was the Pierson's mule sheds,
where were stabled the wagons and teams that brought the freight from
the Ramapo iron works. Usually three teams were hitched to each
wagon. That part of the village is greatly changed; much has been
dug away.

Captain John DeGroat sailed the sloop ''John Felter" and in later
years the Adelaide, a shwp built by Daniel DoNoyellcs. Denton Fow-
ler's house occupies the site of the Post house, one of the first built in
Ilaverstraw. On the l^ach below Felter's dock was the shipyard of Gar-
ret Allison and next south was Taylor's dock. Nothing inter\'encu
between that and the DeXoyelles store and landing, which were five or
six hundred yards south. The first brickyard encoimtered was Daniel
DeXoyelles', below which was James Wood's. Between the two brick-
yards was a burying gToiind for slaves. There wei-e a number of docks.
A hundred yards south of Felter's was Noah Brown's, which was not
used A^athin Mr. McKenzie's recollection. Between that and the Pullen
Point landing was an old abandoned stone dock. Steamboats stopped
occasionally at Pullen's Point dock, which was also used by the Pecks.
There was nothing between Pullen's Point and Grassy Point, but at the
latter place was a large hotel and a store, besides tlie pier. At the foot
of Long Clove was Snedeker's landing, where steamboats once stopped.
The Eockland landed at DeXoyelles' dock. A large country trade came
down to Felter's as well as to DeXoyelles' wharf. Great quantities of
wood were shipped from Ilaverstraw.

282 HISTORY OF ROCKL,AND COUNTY.

Wlien winter came the cold was steady. Snow lay on the groiind the
season through. Garret Allison was the father of Michael Allison, who
learned the shipbuilding trade here, then moved to Jersey City and
became one of the most prominent boat Iniilders of his time. Michael
was the builder of the steamboats Mary Powell and James W. Baldwin.
His grave is in Mount Repose Cemetery. Behind the stores on the north
side of Main street was an orchard. In the valley, near where the First
Presbyterian Church was afterward erected, was a large millpond. At
''Gm'nee's comers" John and Leonard Gurnee kept a store. Leonard
died in 1852, aged CO. He passed all his life in this neighborhood, and
for forty years was a member of the M. E. Church, mostly as an officer.

Meanwhile the brick industry was gro^ving and offering new oppor-
tunities for the investment of capital and the employment of labor. In
1830 a decided impetus was given to the town by the setting up of rolling
mills on Minisceongo creek, by the firm of Peck & Phelps, who had long
been engaged in the tin plate business at New York, with a branch in
Liverpool, Eng. Elisha Peck had been in charge of the foreign branch
for fifteen years, when, in the summer of 1830, the firm having decided
to build works at Haverstraw, he returned to this country, bringing
machinery for a rolling mill. Mr. Peck's partner, Anson G. Phelj^s, had
already purchased the site. A manufacturing business was started that
in a few years reached large proportions. The prochict was sheet iron,
thin wire, screws, sulphuric acid and other chemicals. A village that
grew up at the works was named Samsondale, in honor of the ship Sam-
son, which broiight Mr. Peck back from England. A tramway to Pul-
len's point was laid, by which mainifactures and supplies were carried to
and from the firm's wharf. The opportunity for employment offered by
the works and the consequent increase of population encouraged exten-
sive building operations; and in 1837 a large section of the Allison farm,
north of Main street and east of Broadway, was laid out in streets and
lots, by the owaiers of the tract, George S. and Michael Allison, and
called the "Village of Warren." In the following year came the Gar-
ners to acquire and develop a small calico printing business that had
been started by John Glass ten years before, but which had made little
headway owing to tlie death of Mr. Gla.ss, by an accident, in 1831. The
steamboat era had l>egun and Mr. Glass was going to Xew York on the
General Jackson, with a large quantity of goods from his mill, when the

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 283

steamboat cxiiloded ^v•hile yot lying at tlio wliarf at Grassy Point, and
Mr. Glass was anion.g the fourteen persons killed. Success immediate
and continuous attended the print works \inder the proprietorship of the
Garnei"8. The busi ncss established by Peck & Phelps, liowever, encoun-
tered such unfavorable tariff legislation in 1842 as to necessitate the
closing of the rolling mill and the iron works. But from this misfortune
the town recovered in 1844, when Higgins & Company leased buildings
from Mr. Peck and i-jarried forward a carpet manufacturing business that
employed about two hundred and fifty hands. The total number of x>eo-
ple employed by the factories of Garnerville and Samsondale in 1846
was nearly a thousanci'. The number of brickyards had increased to
twenty- seven, which gtive employment to 650 men during the season,
manufactured seventy million brick, aiul consumed 10,800 cords of
wood. The pcnnanent population of the tow^l was aboiit three thou-
sand. Two church edifices were in course of erection. The number of
stores was twelve, and thi-ee steamboats carried freight and passengers
from the village to New York. The manufacturing interests of the
district were further diversified in 1848, when the Wai'ren Foundry,
then in West stre«t, began operations, the proprietors being Myron
Ward and Richard A. Vervai'en, and the product principally stoves and
plows. Afterward the business was can-ied on on the river front, man-
ufacturing brick machines.

The Haverstraw of this era was depicted in a lecture entitled "Thirty
Years in Haverstraw," delivered b}^ the Eev. Amassa S. Freeman, I). D.,
in the Central Presbyterian Church Janiiary 1, 1878. From the manu-
script of that lecture, with the permilssion of the family, through Mr.
William A. Speck, the following paragT-aphs are taken:

"Of course the river flowed and the liTigh Tor looked down upon iis
then as now. The steamboat landing was DeNoyelles & Gurnee's (the
lower dock), of which only some spiles are n^nw left. The store was the
lower store at the head of the dock so long closved. There a large trade
was driven by Capt. Edward DelSToyelles, John and Leonard Gurnec.
Follow up Front street and how changed ! Captain .Edward DeNoyelles
had lived for many years in the second house, now occupied by his
widow. Then came Ealph Van Houten's, not greatly cilianged, for he
and his wife celebrated a few yeax's ago their golden wedding in the same
house in which they were married. The house of the late Mrs; Martha

284 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY. .

DelSToyellcs, now occupied by John L., stood wlicrc it does now, tliough
entirely remodeled. But above that the houses of Isiaac Milburn, S. C.
Blauvelt, Mr. Goldsmith, S. A. Vervalen, indeed all the way to Main
street, how different. A few small houses were then;, but some have
been torn down, some rebuilt, some removed. Up by where Ira Hedges
lives was the little school house of D. B. Loomis, which he occupied
after leaving the Academy.

''From Martling's corner up Main street to the coraer of First was a
row of dilapidated wooden buildings. A fire swept t'nem all away and it
proved a public benefit, as more substantial buildings took their place.
Follow up Main street (south side) and most of the buildings now stand-
ing, have been put up since. . . . The buildings on the north side
also are almost entirely changed. . . . Following up Front street,
above Main, the house which stood where Mr. Amos Briggs now lives
was carried around into Broad street, and is now occupied by his son
Charles. The next house, now occupied by Theodore Fredericks, on
the same spot, is greatly altered. Where Mr. Kneuder lives, in a brick
house built by Arnet Seaman, was a frame- house occupied by Rev.
James Ilildreth, pastor of the First Presbytei .an Church, then on Calico
hill. Mr. Hildreth's house was moved twicr3; first to the rear of the lot,
then to where it now stands, next door to C. Briggs's, now the residence
of John C. Coe. The present residence of Judge Suffern was then occu-
pied by H. Cr. Prall, with an office in thr southeast corner. It is nearly
the only building on Main street or on Front that was there in 1840, that
wa.s not rebuilt.

"Almost all the village north o"'' Main street, including Rockland,
Broad, Division and Clinton, is nev\ . In coming down from Garnerville,
where in 1847 I uiBed to board with Henry Garner of the Print Works,
we used to drive across lots in front of this church to where Judge Suf-
fern lives. There were a fe'vv, very few, houses in the neighborhood of
the settlement about the old Catholic church. By the bridge as you
aj^proach Samsondale were the carpet works with one hundred looms of
the Iliggins brothei-s , afterwards removed to Forty-second street, ISTew
York. Mo.st of the houses as you approach Garnerville have been built
since then, thorigh Benson's corner was much as now. On the corner
opposite G. Bf.^nson's residence a store was then kept by IMajor John I.
Suffern and. Ephcnetus Wheeler. On the hill, by the entrance to the res-

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 285

idence of Jolm Peck (then his father, Elisha Peck's) stood the okl First
Presbyterian Chiircli, a square, barn-like wooden building. There
Dominic Pelton preacdied for many years, then Mr. llildreth.

The greatest change in localities is in the road along shore from the
village to Grassy Point. After crossing the railroad above Peck and
Briggs's yard, we used to ascend a hill and ride on through a grove of
beautiful trees. Part of the way up was what was called the Narrow
Passage, a ravine where if two vehicles met, the one nearer the entrance
must back out. Back of Grassy Point landing was a sloping bank, with
gardens and shade trees, where now are pits. The road from the vil-
lage to Grassy Point is something like a channel at Sandy Hook, where
the sands shift so often that one needs always a pilot to carry him
through. As to Grassy Point itself, I never saw the grass. It must
have gone before I came here. At the Point the foundry of Mr. John
Wiles is still carried on by his entei-prising sons.

"Our route to New York in those days was by Piennont. Picrmont
was the eastern terminus of the Erie railroad, and large, heavy steam-
boats, the 'New Haven' and 'Iron Witch,' used in winter to force a pas-
sage through the ice. The western terminus of the road was then at
Otisville, beyond Middletown. Charles B. Snedeker ran the stage to
Piennont. I think by that route I introduced the first melodeon into
Haverstraw, in the winter of 1847. Speaking of music, the Messenger
of October, 1847, has the following: 'We take pleasure in announcing
to our readers that a singing school has been opened in our village under
the managementof Mr. Heman B. McKenzie, choiristcr of the Metho-
dist Church. The school will meet at the Academy on Monday evenings"
In those days H. B. McKenzie in the M. E. and John S. Smith in this
church used to start the tunes by the aid of tuning-forks. About this
time (1847) the announcement is made of divine service according to the
usage of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Methodist house of wor-
ship, by Rev. W. F. Walker, missionary of the Rockland County Episco-
pal Mis.sion. In 1849 the Haverstraw debating society for the first time
proclaimed itself, and the following question was announced to be dis-
cussed, over Mr. J. King's paint shop: 'Is the acquisition of California
a benefit to this country?'

"Among the advertisements during 1849 are James King, painter;
H. Felter & Co., bakery; George S. Myers, stove and tin establishment;

286 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

George Anderson, stone cutter; W. Potter daguerrean, opposite Felter's
bakery; Miss Benson, milliner; H. P. Cropsey, dry goods, successor to
C. C. O. Blauvelt; Ezra Mead, A. A. Conkling, tailor; Jacob Stagg,
Jacob Allison, blacksniitliing, on Main street; William Bryne, bakery;
Theodore Polhemus, carriage maker; C. A. Rand, Temperance House.
The opening of Warren Hall, in the second story of a building
on Main street, now occupied by the Messrs. Penny, grocers, was an
event of interest, followed by many pleasant evenings in connection mth
the Warren Lyceum. The store was then occupied by S. C. Blauvelt,
who enlarged it and fitted up the second story a,s a hall, in 1854. There,
on Saturday, Nov. 18, 1854, the Warren Lyceum was organized. A. E.
Suffem was called to the chair ; Edward Pye, secretary. A course of lec-
tures was delivered that winter to large audiences.

"The physicians of thirty years ago were: Doctors Pratt, Govan,
Whipple and Purdue, then Au.stin, Reeve, Dixon, Alexander, Sloat,
Lilienthal, Ropeke, McKnight, Sargent, Reisberg, Springer, Taylor,
Tanner, Allen, Owen, House, Chambre, Bogert, Stahl. Lawyers: H.
G. Prall, Quentin McAdam, Edward Pye, David C. Ringland, A. E.
Suffem, C. P. Hoffman, Spencer Weiant, J. H. Hopper, Fen-is, L. V. E.
Robinson, Robert Patton, Wheeler, Batchclder, Brown, G. R. Weiant,
Cyrillus Myers.

"Where are they who trod our streets and who were the prominent
citizens of this town thirty years ago? Most of them to-night are with
the dead. 'Theplaces that knew them know them no more!' Each one's
memory can perform its own office and call up familiar faces of kindred
and friends that are seen no longer among the living.

Mount Repose Cemetery was publicly set apart with appropriate
ceremonies in July, 1853. We owe it to the active efforts of the Rev. J.
C. Ayars that this beautiful spot at the foot of the mountains was
selected. The opening prayer was by the Rev. W. H. Miller, address on
the methods of burial by different nations by the Rev. James H. McFar-
land, then pastor of the M. E. Church. Other addresses were delivered
by the Rev. Dr. Freeman and the Rev. J. C. Ayars, then of Jersey City.
Closing prayer by the Rev. Hudson, of the Methodist Protestant Church.
The Catholic Cemetery adjoining Mount Repose was opened in 1877.

The village of Haverstraw was incorporated in 1854 and was at fii"st
named Warren. The steps which led to this consummation were taken

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 287

at meeting's of citizens in the latter part of the year 1853. A census of
the inhabitants in December disclosed a population of 1,760 within the
proposed boundaries, and a geographical survey gave an acreage of 493.
On February 4th a petition, with a map aynexed, was presented to the
Court of General Sessions, praying for authority to incorporate. The
petitioners were Henry P. Cropsey, Samuel C. Blauvelt, Abram DcBaun,
Garret DeBaun, Lems R. Mackey, John C. Coe, James Creney, Daniel
C. Springsteen, John DeBann, Ezra Mead, A. Edward Suffcrn, Samuel
A. Ven^alen. The Court (County Judge William F. Frazcr and Justices
James SufFem and W. Dickenson) made an order granting the petition
and setting apart the territory described as the Village of Warren, pro-
Abided at a special election appointed for that purpose a majority of the
electors indicated their approval. At the election, which was held on
the 11th of March, 187 votes were cast in favor and only 8 against. The
first village officers were chosen at an election held at the house of John
Begg, April 8, 1854. The whole number of votes cast for Trustee was
751, of which Henry P. Cropsey received 87; Edward Pye 104; Heniy
M. Peck 87; George E. De;Nroyelles 151; Richard A.Vervalen 144;
Abram Marks 62; John S. Gumee 64; Garret S. Storms 52. Messrs.
DeNoyelles, Vervalen, Pye, Peck and Cropsey were declared elected.
At the same time Isaac Sherwood was chosen Assessor; Samiiel C. Blau-
velt, Clerk; Isaac Milburn, Treasurer; George S. Meyers, Collector;
Peter Titns, Poundmaster; William R. Lane, George S. Meyers and
Walter Johnson, Fire Wardens.

The first meeting of the trustees was held on Wednesday evening,
April 12, 1854. Edward Pye was chosen President of the Board. The
first act of the board after organizing was to pass a series of ordinances
intended for the preserA-ation of public order and decency. One pro-
vided for proper respect to the Sabbath; another laid a prohibition
against domestic animals running at large. Up to this time Haverstraw
had no system for extinguishing fires, except that a few yeai"s before
(Januaiy 28th) a hook and ladder company had been fonned and some
ladders and a tnick to carry them had been bought for $252.39, the
money being si;bscribed at the organization meeting held in the ballroom
of the American Hotel. There was a feeling of insecurity, and a general
sentiment for better arrangement. In fact, a desire for a fire department
had been one of the reasons for incorporating the village. Accordingly,

288 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

when the trustees next met, which was on April 24th, resolutions were
passed ordering a special election to be held on May 17th, at which time
the taxpayers were to vote for or against the following recpiisitions:
(1) $1,200 for a fire engine, Jiose carriage and 400 feet of hose; (2) $300
for building three public cisterns; (3) $500 for building an engine ho\isc;
(4) $15 for erecting a suitable poiind. Sixty-five votes were cast at the
election, all being in favor.

At the same election the property owners voted in favor of laying
sidewalks in all the principal streets. Brick or flagstone was specified
for Main street and brick, flagstone or two-inch plank for other streets.

A Board of Health, of which Cornelius Allison was chainnan and
Arnet Seaman secretary, began in July to hold weekly meetings. One
of the first acts of this board was to instruct the Health Officer to inspect
the condition of all tenements, and to direct the removal of all nuisances.
The new fire-engine, with the hose can'iage and hose, amved in Sep-
tember.

These several improvements were the first fruits of incorporation.
For the second year Edward Pye, H. M. Peck, Andrew DeBaun, Leon-
ard Gurnec and Heman M. McKenzie were elected trustees. Isaiah
Milburn was appointed Street Conmiissioner and George S. Myers Police
Constable.

A survey of the streets of the village was ordered in March, 1856,
and in June of the same year Main street was ordered to be graded and
paved. In March, 1857, the taxpayers, upon the recommendation of the
Board of Trustees, voted for the purchase of another fire engine, and
appropriated $300 for that purpose, together -with $400 for four hun-
dred feet of hose. Four more public cisterns were constructed about the
same time. The engine was bought, second-hand, in Newburgh, and
received the name of Union Engine No. 2. A new fire company was
organized to take charge of the machine, and Mr. McLauren's cai^penter-
shop was rented for fire quarters. The first membere of this company
were: Thomas J). Milderberger, Abram Felter, Abram C. Vanllouton,
William D. La Montanye, Abram Sneider, John Turnbull, Daniel
DoXoyclles, M. M. Milderberger, E. M. Farrington, Wm. B. McLauren,
AVilliam Felter, Isaac H. Duryea, John C. Coe, James Creny, Jr., Wal-
ter S. Johnson, Epenetiis Jones, Herman Springsteen, Joseph Porter,
A. V. B. Stagg, Abram Blauvelt, Levi D. West, John P. Jersey, Wm.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 289

D. Fiirman, Hannan Feltcr, Jolm Trcadway, Jacob R. Westcrvelt.
Many others joined subsequently.

All the fire companies, the service being popular and aifordiiig means
of social and physical exei'cise, obtained large membership rolls. The
first members of Warren Engine Co. No. 1 (organized May 15, 185-4)
were: George Meyers, Foreman; H. VerValen, S. F. Requa, E. M.
Farrington, W. W. Oldfield, G. W. Bullis, D. DeXoyelles, J. H. Miller,
W. Seai-sby, G. W. Snedeker, G. Anderson, H. Stagg, W. Schank, S. G.
Xewman, S. Fowler, C. Ward, P. Schoonmaker, X. DeGroat, II. Jones,
J. Glassy, J. Wescott, T. Brannan, T. Murphy, R. Mackeral, W. II. Fer-
don, John Phillips, James Serat, Michael Flynn, L. F. Williker.

A great event in 1857 was the laying of the corner-stone for a monu-
ment to General Wayne on Stony Point. It was the seventy-eighth
anniversai-y of the battle. Orations were delivered by Rev. Amassa J.
Paker, General Benjamin F. Butler, Erastus Blrooks, A. B. Conger, Col.
Scrugham and John Lawrence DeNoyelles. The monument has not yet
been erected.

In February, 1858, the sum of $1,000 was appropriated for buying a
lot and building a house for Engine No. 2 and Hook and Ladder No. 1.
Trustee John L. DeNoyelles reported the following month that he had
bought a lot 25 by 100 feet, in Division street from George S. Allison,
for $300. On this lot an engine house, planned by John R. McKenzie,
was erected.

Rescue Hook and Ladder Company was not at this time under the
control of the village trustees, but was an independent and self-sup-
porting company, having been organized previous to the incorporation
of the village. But in April, 1859, by resolution of the tnxstees,
the company was accepted and made a legal part of the village
fire department, mth the understanding that the debts against
the company should be paid by the village. This was the company which
had been organized on January 28th, 1854, at the American Hotel. The
first members were: Asbury DeNoyelles, Foreman; James Creney,
Assistant Foreman; James King, Secretary; J. W. Edwards, Treasurer;
Lewis R. Mackey, Samuel A. YerValcn, Daniel C. Springsteen, Ilarman
Felter, Edward Felter, William Fclter, John Begg, John Felter, Isaiah
^lilburn, John Jones, I. Weiant Edwards, William R. Lane, William
Sedell, (Captain) John Gaines (the champion skater of the Hudson),

290 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Theodore Polhemus, William B. McLauren, Edgar Freeman, George E.
DeNoyelles, Lewis S. Wliitaker, Edward Peck, Silas G. Mackej, Mat-
thew Eose, Aaron E. ililbiirn. Garret S. Storms, James Glassy, Jackson
Eose, James Hazard, Jacob Allison, John P. Jersey, Theodore Fred-
ericks, Stephen Fields, Abram D. VerValen, ISTathaniel Cooper, John
Cosgrove, Denton Fowler, Phillip Schoonmaker, Bradley Keesler, James
Creney, Jr.

Chief Engineers for the fire department were first elected in 1859
(May 10), under a special act of the Legislature jiassed February 14th uf
that year. Samuel A. VerValen was elected Chief Engineer, W. VJ.
Oldfield, First Assistant, and Benjamin Felter, Second Assistant.

The Board of Trustees had no standing committees until 1858, when
the members were divided into the following committees: On Streets,
Fire, Village Ordinances, Police and Finance. When the board, in

1858, desiring to build a lock-up, asked for an appropriation of $200,
the taxpayers voted the measure down. The first meetings of the Board
of Trustees were held at the office of President Pye, afterward at the
office of his successor, Cornelius Hoffman, later at the United States
Hotel, then at the house of Kescue Hook and Ladder Company and after-
ward in Osbom Hall. Illuminating gas was introdiiced in the village in

1859, by H. A. Haughwout & Co., of New York, who received permis-
sion from the Trustees to construct works and lay pipes, but the corpora-
tion did not use the gas for street lamps until 1870. An important woi-k
taken up in 1860 was the improvement of the Short Clove road, by cut-
cing down the grade to 12 1/2 per cent. The cost was $1,600, which was
paid in the course of two years.

OFF TO WAR.

When the rebel guns opened fire against Fort Sumter, the North
sprang to arms. In Haverstraw a mass meeting of the friends of the
Union was instantly called, and on the evening of April 22, 1861, the
Wigwam was crowded to the doors and rang with the patriotic cheers of
loyal Americans. General George S. Allison, was the chairman and
John I. Cole the secretary of the meeting. War speeches were delivered,
and subscriptions were asked to a fund to assist the families of volun-
teei-s. The following named were appointed a committee to take charge
of the fund and disburse it: H. M. Peck, Alex. Waldron, Eev. P.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 291

Mahoney, Rev. Dr. Crane, Alexander Davidson, Rev. F. L. King, Rev.
J. J. Smith, Rev. A. S. Freeman, General G. S. xVllisou, John L.
DeNoyelles, William Call, John W. Felter. The sum of $3,335 was
subscribed at the meeting and all through the war funds continued to
flow into this committee or its successors from various sources. Enlist-
ment rolls were opened the next day, and many of Ilaverstraw's young
men came forward and signed. Two representative companies were
raised in the village and town. One took the naone first of the Warren
Rifles and aftenvard of the DelSI^oyelles Guards and chose Edward Pye,
a lawyer and former President of the village, for captain. The other
company was called the Stephens Guards, and chose for officers Captain
A. F. Ingold, Lieut. A. S. Gurnee and Lieut. J. 11. Weaver.

The DeNoyelles Guai-ds were the first to march away. On the last
Sabbath evening before their departure, they proceeded to the Central
Presbyterian Church, to attend di\'ine service. It was an occasion as
solemn as it was memorable. Four of the village clergymen occupied
the pulpit and the house was filled with the relatives and friends of the
volunteers. The Rev. Messrs. Marsh of the First Presbyterian Church,
Crane of the Methodist Church, Hepburn of the Episcopal Church, and
Dr. Freeman participated in the exercises. Dr. Freeman, in his address,
said: "A strange sight greets our eyes to-day in this house of God.
What neither yoii nor I ever expected to see. Here are soldiers enlisted
for war. A war in our own land. You go to fight, if need be. Yet not to
destroy, but to save. To save our country and to preserve for yourselves
and for us dear-bought privileges, to maintain oiir government and that
Union under which we were born, and in which we have enjoyed such
blessings. And we have met to speak some parting words to you, my
friends, who go forth to maintain the Constitution and the laws of your
country. . . . You go as our representatives. I need not repeat
the assurances of our interest in your welfare. This vast congregation
testifies it. This union of many religious societies and Christian hearts
testifies it, and these earnest words addressed to you, expressing the feel-
ings of all who are present, echo it. . . . Some of you we have long
known. Some are comparative strangers. You are of different nation-
alities and of different religious faiths. But we forget all other dift'er-
ences to-day in the thought that you go to engage in a common cause
for our nation's defence. May God go with you all; keep and preserve

292 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

you and bring you back in safety. ... I take the liberty of pre-
senting as a slight token of the interest I feel the camp library and pack-
ages of tracts, for your reading in the camp. You will find among them
memoirs of Christian soldiers who served God while serving their coun-
try. Permit me to say also that the Sabbath school of this church, moved
by the fact that one of its teachers and two or three of his class are mem-
bei-s of this company, expressed a desire this morning to present to each
soldier of this company a pocket copy of the New Testament. I shall
see that you receive them"

The Rev. Dr. Crane, of the M. E. Chui'ch, spoke in part as follows:
"Half a million men are rallying for the battle, and you are among them.
With uplifted hands yoii have each of you called God to witness that you
will jierform faithfully the duty of an American soldier. Before you lies
the tented field and war's magnificently stern array. When the hour of
rctimi shall come, — and who shall behold it? — God alone can tell. But
this we know, it is war and not a holiday parade that calls you forth. You
think of the martial plain glistening far and wide with anns, and yet dark
with its tens of thousands rushing to the conflict. Yoii hear in fancy the
thunders of the cannonade, you feel the earth tremble beneath the tramp
of legions dashing onward in the charge; you hear the exultant shouts of
victory, thrilling you with a soldier's joy. . . . Go then, soldiers,
where duty calls, not led by love of adventure, not with hearts of malice
or hate, or with vain ambition; but with souls filled with the might of
great jiurpose, a holy cause, whose altar is worthy of the sacrifice of
blood, which a nation now lays upon it. And may the divine presence,
like Israel's cloud and pillar of fire, go with you, pointing out the way,
that you may prosper therein; and in due season return in peace to the
friends who now with prayers and tears yield you up; return with souls
imstained by the vices of the camp, to spend lives of usefulness and
honor in the land which your own right arms have aided in saving from
dishonor and ruin."

On the morrow, at the Wigwam, a flag was presented to the com-
pany by the ladies of the villag-e, the Rev. Dr. Freeman making the pre-
sentation address. Captain Pye in responding promised for his com-
rades to bring back the flag or leave their bodies with it on the field.
The occasion, he added, was not one simply for talk, or glory or banners,

TOWN OP HAVERSTRAW. 293

but at such an hour it was becoming to recognize one higher than cartlily
friends, and he called upon the Rev. Dr. Crane to close the proceedings
with prayer.

The next morning the company started, a multitude going before and
following after, with music and cheers. At the landing the volunteers
boarded the steamer Isaac P. Smith and on aiTiving at Xew York, were
assigned to quarters in the "Red House." As part of the Xinety-fiftli
New York Volunteers, they were thereafter known as Company F.

The members of the company at this time were: John Abbott, W.
E. Ackennan,* Frederick C. Adams, James Agnew, William Allison,*
Samuel W. Babcock, James P. Babcock, John Barry, John Blower,
John Brooks, Daniel Brooks, P. Broderick, Edw. Burke, B. B. Buno,*
Nicholas Call, Lorenzo D. Conklin,* John Coleman, Matthew Connelly,
James Cornelison, William M. Cosgrove, James Creney, Peter D.
Bevoise, Hugh Doyle, P. DeNoyelles, John F. DeNoyelles, J. De La
Montanye, Charles Dolson, William M. Frazer, F. A. Fletcher, Levi
Frederick, Fenton, Gardner, Adam Glassing, Francis M. Gurnee, Thos.
Hastings, Ira M. Hedges, Jesse B. Hedges, William Herrod, James
Holden, W. C. Hinman,* John W. King, Charles E. Knapp, Daniel E.
Knapp,* J. N. Knapp, Enos Jersey, Elihu Jones, James Larkin, James
Luke, S. G. Mackey, John M. Guirk, John McDonald, Marshall Nye,
Abram Odell, P. M. Osbom, John Palmer, Joseph Peck,* John Phil-
lips,* Edwin Phillips, William H. Phillips, Edward Pye,* Jacob J.
Rose, Patrick Ryan, R. J. Seeley, Abram Snedeker, John H. Smith,
Richard O. Smith, William G. Smith,* William C. Slack, William L.
Sherwood, George Stammers,* John Stalter, William Scott, John J.
Titus, Seth Terry, Charles G. Turner, Edwin Thompson, R. D. Trap-
liagen, Richard Welch, Edward Weiant, William H. Wright.

The Stephens Guards changed their headquarters to the Wigwam
after the departure of the first company. On the 21st of November
they left, by the steamer Metamora, from Bogert's Wharf, for New
York, cheered away by a multitude of friends, and on arriving at the
city went into camp with the Ninety-fifth New York as Company B.
The members of this company at this time were: Isaac Aiken, Morgan
Brewster, Daniel B. Brewster, William Benson, Charles Bostedo, Wil-
liam Fales, A. S. Gurnee, Theo. Hammond, James M. Hill, John Ilud-

* Died in the service.

294 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

son, A. F. Ingold, Isaac Knapp, George Knapp, Bradley Keesler, James
Lent, Jesse Monroe, James McCormack, Charles W. Osbom,* William
Thorn, George Phillips, William Phillips, Theo. Stalter, Joseph Stam-
mers,* Richard Smith, Winfield Springsted, John Seeley, Charles Wal-
dron, J. H. Weaver, Alexander Weiant, William Weiant.

Company F, being permitted to return home for a few days at
Thanksgiving, attended service on the fast day at the Central Presby-
terian Church. After the sermon a flag, the gift of John L. Dc^SIoj^clles,
was brought in and presented to the company, the Rev. Dr. Freeman
making the presentation address. On December 5th Dominick Kennedy
left Haverstraw with twenty-seven more members for the Ninety-fifth
and later Lieut. S. W. Babcock recruited for the same regiment. In all,
first and last, about two hundred men from Haverstraw enlisted in the
Ninety-fifth.

The regiment remained in camp at Harlem, waiting for the ranks
to be filled, until February 20th, 1862, and then at New Doqi, Staten
Island, until March 18th, when it started for Washington with nine hun-
dred men. It was organized on March 6th, and George H. Biddle, who
had been active in the work of recruiting, was commissioned colonel.
Six of the companies were raised in New York city, two in Haverstraw,
one in Sing Sing and one in Westchester county. Aniving in Washing-
ton March 19th, 1862, the regiment was placed in General Wadswortli's
command and stationed at Camp Thomas. After a short stay at tlie
Capital, it crossed the Potomac into Virginia and encamped at Aqua
creek. In May, 1862, it was assigned to Doubleday's brigade, with
which it served in Pope's campaign. It was first under fire at Gainsville,
Va., Aiigust 28th; this was one of the engagements connected with the
Second Battle of Bull Run. The same day the Ninety-fifth took part in
the fighting at Groveton, and on the 30th it was under fire again. The
losses of the regiment in this battle were 23 killed and wounded and 90
missing or captured, a total of 113. Many of the missing were also killed
or wounded.

Under the reorganization of the army following Pope's defeat and
retirement, Doubleday's brigade became the Second in the Fii-st
Division, First Corps, and was composed of the Seventh Indiana, Twenty-
Sixth New York, Ninety-Fifth New York and Fifty-Sixth Pennsylva-

"'■" Died in tJie service.

WILLIAM MC(\VULEY.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 29S

nia. A participant in the Maryland campaign, the regiment, then nndcr
the command of Major Edward Pye, fought in the great battles of South
IMountain and Antietam, but came through with slight casualties. At
Fredericksburgh, December 23, 1862, where Colonel Biddle com-
manded, the regiment lay under a heavy artillery fire, and sustained a
loss of one killed and three wounded. From this field the army went
into winter quarters, the First Corps near Belle Plain, on Aqua creek.
At Gettysburgh the Ninety-Fifth had 291 present. As part of Rey-
nolds' (the Fii-st) corps, it engaged the enemy soon after ten o'clock on
the morning of the first day's fighting, and at the Railroad Cut, with the
aid of the Eighty-sixth New York and the Sixth Wisconsin, repulsed a
large jDart of Davis's Mississippi brigade. At noon the regiment held a
position at Oak Hill, and when outflanked moved to the right of the
Seminary, where it supported Battery B of the Foui-th U. S. Artillery.
On the second and third days of the great battle the regiment was po.sted
on Culp's Hill. Casualties, 7 killed, 62 wounded, 46 missing.

Col. Biddle and Lieut.-Col. Post resigned in October, 1863, when
Major Pye was commissioned colonel and Captain James Creney lieu-
tenant-colonel. The regiment after participating in the Mine Run affair,
Nov. 26-Dec. 2, went into winter quartei-s in comfortable cabins near
Culpepper, Va. The most of the original members re-enlisted and went
home on a veteran furlough. In May, 1864, having received some re-
cruits, the Ninety-Fifth started on the long and bloody campaign under
Grant's leadership. In the Wilderness it lost 18 killed, 64 wounded, 92
missing or captured. The Confederates captured all of Company E and
parts of Companies A and I. At Spottsylvania our regiment lost 6
killed, 51 wounded, 8 missing. At North Anna, 1 killed and 6 wounded.
At Bethesda Church, 1 killed and 11 wounded. It was at Bethcsda
Church (Cold Harbor, May 30-31,) that Colonel Pye received his mor-
tal wound. He died ten days later, mourned as a manly and efficient of-
ficer. Lieut.-Colonel Creney was severely wounded at Petersburgh, and
then the command devolved upon Major Robert W. Bard. At the bat-
tle of Weldon Railroad the Ninety-Fifth lost 6 killed, 20 wounded, 52
captured. Colonel Creney rejoined the regiment in the latter part of
August. Such had been the ravages of battle, only 213 men remained
in the ranks. The last battles of the Ninety-fifth were Gravelly Run
(March 31, 1865) and Five Forks, on the following day. Under the

296 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

command of Captain George D. Knight the regiment went into action
at Five Forks 94 strong. Its casualties in the two days' fighting were 4
killed, C3 wounded and 9 missing. The noble remnant, as part of the
Fifth Corps, pressed on in pursuit of Lee's retreating army and was in
at the finish. When the roll of the regiments was called at Appomattox
after Lee's surrender the gallant old Ninety-Fifth answered proudly.
Here! On July 16, 1865, the regiment was mustered out.

The body of Col. Pye was sent home, and -was buried from the Cen-
tral Presbyterian Church, on Wednesday, June loth. The flag which
the ladies of Haverstraw had presented to his company, and which had
been carried with honor in many battles, was draped over his coffin. "He
went forth at the call of his country," said Dr. Freeman in his eulogy.
"I believe he was conscientious in going. . . . By merit he rose imtil he
was appointed colonel of the regiment. In a letter I received from him,
he said, 'God has mercifully preserved me. What purpose He has in
store for me I know not. If I fall I only desire that my wife and chil-
dren may never have cause to blush at my record, and that I may through
Christ's merit fall a true soldier of the cross, as well as a valiant soldier
of my country.' " He was buried in Oak Hill Cemeterj', Xyack.

On the field of Gettysburgh there stands a monument to the Ninety-
Fifth New York that was dedicated on July 1, 1893. Hon. Ira M.
Hedges, in the dedicatory address said: "The small number here pres-
ent are a majority of all that now remain. Many battlefields attest your
braverj^ your patriotism and your loyalty. For a moment let us indulge
a thought and drop a tear in memory of the loved and the fallen. Ho^y
we all honor and revere the memory of Colonel Pye, Generals Double-
day, Rice Cutler, Wadsworth, Newton, Reynolds, Meade and Grant,
under whom we fought. This is the thirtieth anniversary of the terrific
contest which took place on these grounds. How well do we recall the
hot July day in 1863, when we stood where we now stand. But, oh,
under what different circumstances! What changes have thirty years
wrought. Then we were in the pride and vigor of our early manhood,
and now the heads of all about me are whitened -with the frosts of years.
How well do we recall the rapid march from Marsh Run that morning;
how as we reached the town we realized that hot work was before us that
day, when we heard the guns of Buford's cavalry; and we came up near
to the old cemetery yonder, when the order to double quick was given.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 297

. . . Regiments, brigades and divisions came from all directions,
and for a time it seemed as if the old First Army Corps (of which we are
all so jiistlj' proud) woiild be annihilated. How nearly the Ninety-fifth
and Fourteenth (Brooklyn) came to being flanked from our position, and
the change of front we made under fire; how we charged across the plain
to a point at this railroad cut! In this charge Coi"poral Ackerman and
William F. Smith, of Company F, as well as a number of othere now
here assembled, fell. Smith was killed and now fills one of the graves
on yonder hillside marked 'Unknown.' Ackerman fell mortally
wounded and died two days later. Here at this spot you will recall the
fact of our capture of almost the entire Mississippi brigade.
Our names will soon be forgotten, but the imperishable records of your
deeds will live. Hallowed indeed is the sacred spot. Here rest peace-
fully our young comrades, who marched and bivouacked with us, will-
ingly giving their lives that, in the words of the immortal Lincoln, 'the
government of the people by the people for the people should not perish
from the earth.' "

During the war the public means and energies of Havcrstraw town
and \illage were mainly devoted to the support of the Union cause. All
public interest was absorbed in this. When volunteering ceased, draft-
ing began. In 1863 the firemen of the village formed an association,
into the treasury of which each member paid $50, with the understand-
ing that the fund would be used to release such members as should he
drafted. In September of that year the village trustees, agreeably to a
vote of the taxpayers, contributed $900 to the firemen's fund. On April
1, 18C4, the Town Board, at a meeting in the oflUce of Judge SutlVrn,
resolved that the Supervisors should raise money suflicient to pay for
120 volunteei-s, toward filling the quota of the town, and it was further
resolved to raise $38,000 on the credit of the town. Later in the same
year the same board raised $75,000 more, "to pay bounties, incidental
exix>nses of volunteering, and relief of families." The Supeiwisor was
authorized to pay $275 to any person who should volunteer, and any
taxpayer who should furnish a substitute under the call for 700,000
troops, or any call thereafter, was assured that he should be assessed
$275 out of the town fund. The Town also offered to pay each drafted
man who served in person the same boimty as was paid to substitutes and
volunteers. Afterwards the Town increased the bounty to $300.

298 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Noble instances of self-sacrificing patriotism characterized in this
town and village the long national crisis. The sons and brothers on the
tiring line were ever kept in mind, the prayers of congTegations and
home circles followed them, together with boxes of clothing and other
snpplies contributed by the women's associations.

Some years after the ending of the conflict village improvements
were resnmed. The grades of Main and Front streets near the old U. S.
Hotel were cut down in 1868; Wayne street was extended through from
Clinton in 1870; night watchmen were first appointed in 1870; a lot in
Middle street, north side, next east of the German Lutheran Churcli,
was purchased for $600, as a site for a new engine house and reservoir
in 1871; a steam fire engine, "Lady Warren," was also purchased in
1871. Fire limits were first set in 1874, and the erecting of any other
than brick, stone or iron structiires within the limits was prohibited
thenceforth. As the village, though officially called "Warren," was
commonly called "Ilaverstraw," the name was changed to Haverstraw
in 1874; the record of the action in the village books is dated April 14.
In 1876 the steam fire engine was rebuilt at a cost of $1,500; in the same
year Mutual Hose Company was organized, and the carriage of Lady
Warren company was assigned to the charge of the new company.

The Haverstraw Library and Reading Room Association was a note-
worthy public movement of the year 1873. Its object as the title
implied was to establish and maintain a library, reading room, literary
and scientific lectures and classes. A copy of the constitution and
by-laws in the possession of Mr. W. A. Speck has annexed thereto the
names of the first officers and directors, as follows: President, George
IT. Smith; First Vice President, Silas Gardner; Second Vice President,
Ira it. Hedges; Recording Secretary, Hendrick 1). Batclielder; Corres-
ponding Secretary, Henry C. Vervalen; Treasurer, Theodore Gardner;
Directors, Richard A. VerValen, Lavelette Wilson, Hendrick D. Batch-
elder, Denton Fowler, Theo. Gardner, Ira M. Hedges, Rev. A. S. Free-
man, Charles Brockaway, John R. McKenzie, John Derbyshire, Levi
D. West, Isaiah M. Gardner, A. E. SufFern, George H. Smith, James F.
Green.

In 1878 the Board of Engineers of the Fire Department reported
the Village Trustees that they had set about perfecting the discipline of
the department, and to carry out the new system they had rented a

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 299

room in the U. S. Hotel building as a headquarters for the firemen, or as
a central point from whicli to develop operations. "That alone has cre-
ated an interest in the department," they said, "and caused a number
who were about to resign to remain. Again, the Board has adopted a
system, as follows: To be at least four parades each year, namely three
inspections and one dress parade. Our first inspection parade occurred
on the afternoon of May 30, 1878. We need not inform you of the
severe stonn that prevailed on that day, but despite the inclemency of
the weather, the whole department was anxious for the test. The
engine companies were massed in front of St. Liike's Church, and at a
signal or alarm from the bell of the M. E. Church the several companies
repaired to their respective houses, and thence with their apparatus to
the several cisterns, in conjunction with the head of Main street. Each
company laid four hundred feet of hose, adjusted its pipe, and passed
water through the same. This system demonstrates the efficiency of
our department, for in less than four minutes after an alann the com-
panies can be forcing water on a fire. We next put Rescue Hook and
Ladder Company through a similar test, starting at the old Post Office
(Shenvoo<l building) on an alann from the same bell. The membei-s of
the company ran to their house, and thence with their truck to the
United States Hotel, where they shipped two ladders and raised them to
the upper stoop; a member of the company ascended to the top with a
Babcock fire extinguisher (borrowed) and started operations, all within
considerable less than four minutes. Thus, you can perceive that our
apparatus is all in good condition and every member in readiness to do
his duty when called upon."

Mutual Hose Company ISTo. 1. was disbanded for neglect of duty,
September 2, 1878, and authority for a new hose company to be known
as Triumph Hose ISTo. 1, and attached to the steamer Lady Washington,
was issued by the Village Trustees September 25 of the same year. The
following were elected members on the recommendation of the Board of
Engineers: Daniel De N. DeGroat, John Bemhart, Henry F. Dorl,
Cyrillus Fredericks, William Applegate, Charles Rockwell, William
Duryea, Robert Bell, Sylvester S. Wood, John Fredericks, Warren
Kingsland, George B. Weyant, Charles Xicolls, Fretleriek Abrams.

In 1879 the Trustees appropriated, with the consent of the tax-
payei-s, $1,300 for a new house for Rescue Hook and Ladder Company.

300 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The contracts for building were awarded to John W. Babcock and John
Carson.

In 1880 a new hose carriage was ordered from Enmsey & Co., at a
cost of -ST-^O, and in December, 1881, the Engineers were directed to
reorganize General Warren Engine Company No. 1. The sum of $1,000
was appropriated in 1882, by a special election in llarch, for the build-
ing of a new house for General WaiTcn Engine Company No. 1.

WATER SUPPLY.

Not yet had a general water supply been introduced into the village,
but a serious tire on July 31, 1882, was the indirect cause of the turning
of public attention to the deficiency. Following the fire the Board of
Engineers, in a communication to the Board of Tr^istees, urged that a
steam fire engine and more hose be purchased, and that a ''further sup-
]dy of water" be secvired for fire purposes. A numerously signed peti-
tion from taxpaj'ers being presented at the same time, the Trustees
appropriated $5,000 for the pui'chase of a steamer and two thousand feet
of hose, subject to the approval of the taxpayei-s at a special election
called for September 25th. Before the election could be held the cpies-
tion was raised in the public press if it would not be wiser to invest the
public money in works that would not only furnish a pressure of water
for fire p\n-poses but also a sui>ply for household use, and such was the
change in public opinion that a I'esolution was passed by the Trustees
on September 15th, rescinding the resolution to raise money for engine
and hose, and on the motion of Trustee D. C. Springsteen a committee
with three membci-s was appointed to ascertain where water could be
procured to supply the village and the cost of piping it through the
streets. President Osbom appointed as such committee Trustees D. C.
Springsteen, William Kcesler and Farrel Redmond, who on October
11th reported in part as follows:

"The committ<^e appointed by the Board of Trustees to examine into
the feasibility of bringing water into the village, together mth the prob-
able cost of the same, have after a careful examination of various sources
from which water can be obtained, decided to make their report : They
find that to bring water from the Tunnel would be attended with many
difficulties on account of the natiu'e of the cutting and filling on the line
of the laying of the pipe, it being almost impossible to cover the pipe so

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 301

as to protect it from the frost. Also, the difRculty and expense of con-
structing a reservoir, together with the imcertainty of an unfailing sup-
ply, and these difficulties would not wan-ant the expense." The com-
mittee further reported that they had considered the advisability of
bringing water from the springs in the Fowler and DeNoyellcs prop-
erties by means of pumping, and deemed the plan objectionable on
account of the heavy expense of providing and operating a pumping
plant. The stream in the Sharpe valley, at the southerly end of the
Garret J. Allison lot, "was considered unsuitable because of inadequate
flow in dry seasons as well as insufficient elevation. The stream which
the committee recommended as a source of supply, "has its headwaters,"
to quote the langiiage of the report, "up at John Springsteen's,
and winding its way down through the valley south of Mead's Comers,
it is enlarged l)y the water from several springs on the property of
Springsteen, Allison and Mrs. John S. Guniee." The estimated quan-
tity of water found running at the ]ilac« where a supply woiild be taken
from the main stream and led into the reservoir was about eight hundred
hogsheads in twenty-four hours. A reservoir, if constructed in the val-
ley south of and near the residence of Mrs. John S. Gumee, would have
an elevation of about one hundred and sixty feet above the river. The
committee believed that an adequate supply could be obtained here, esti-
mated the cost of conducting the water into the village and through the
principal streets at about sixteen or seventeen thousand dollars, and rec-
ommended the constraction of public works.

The necessary aiTthorization was not, however, obtained, and the
subject slumbered until April 24, 1884, when in a communication to the
Trastecs, John Lockwood, Daniel Van Allen, John C. Lockwood,
George William Ballou, Theodore M. K'evins, II. S. Ogden and C. A.
Lockwood stated that they proposed to form a water works company in
the village pursuant to an act of the Legislature passed June 12, 1873,
with a proposed capital stock of $50,000, divided into five hundred
shares of one himdred dollars each, and that the water would be obtained
from streams in the village. They asked and at once received permis-
sion to lay pipes through the village, upon condition that the works be
completed by Xov. 1, 1885. But as nothing was done within the spe-
cified period, the franchise was extended to Jvme 1, 188C. Mr. Lock-
wood and liis associates, having organized as the Havei-straw Water Cora-

302 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

pany, now asked permission to supply the \'illage from driven or open
wells, and the request was granted upon condition that the company
should furnish water to dwellings or tenemcut houses at the rate of ten
dollars a year, for the first faucet, and for each additional faucet not
exceeding two dollars per annum. The construction work now proceeded
raijidly and in May, 1886, the Trustees offered the water company the
sum of $1,200 per year for all the water the corporation might need for
fire pui-jioses, forty hydrants to be available as a first installment, and
additional ones to be erected by the village when desired. The com-
pany put in operation within the specified time a driven well system
with a pumping station at D. Fowler's brickyard, and with a water tower
or tank at the foot of the mountain at the head of West street. The
bonds of the company were mostly placed with iSTew York bankers.

To meet an increased demand for water which the wells then in use
could not supply, the West TIaverstraw Water Company was then organ-
ized in 1889, and new works were constructed on the gravity plan, the
source of supply being running springs at Theill's. The new works were
established as a separate concern, but under the same o^vnership as the
Haverstraw system. The pumping station and wells at Haverstraw were
then abandoned, and that village, together with West Haverstraw and
Gamerville, was supplied by the water from Theill's. When this source
of supply became inadequate to supply the increasing demand, the Stony
Point Water Company was incorporated, which was in 1892, and addi-
tional works were constructed on Cedar Pond Creek, in the town of
Stony Point, by which means the incor|x>rated village of Stony Point
and the fire district of Grassy Point were also supplied, and a connection
made through the brickyard district with Haverstraw village. In 1901
the works were enlarged by the construction of two more reservoirs,
■with a capacity of three million gallons, and by the installation of new
piimping machinery at Stony Point. The present facilities of the com-
pany, with three plants combined in one, will be sufficient for some years
to come.

In 1901 the three companies aforementioned went into the hands
of John B. Reynolds, president of the American Equipment Company,
of New York, as receiver. A reorganigation committee representative
of the bond-holders and headed by Colonel H. A. Y. Post of New York
city, formulated the plan by which the three corporations were, on April

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 303

9, 1902, coiisolidated in one, and named the Haverstraw Water Supply
Company. The three systems were all constructed by John Lockwood
& Son, who continued to manage the business by reason of owning a
majority of the stock, until the appointment of the receiver, following
the failure of the old companies to pay the interest on their bonds.
Receiver Reynolds was elected president of the new company and Mar-
tin A. Driscoll superintendent.

The company now has in ser\'ice a pumping station \vith four reser-
voirs at Stony Point, besides one reservoir at Theill's that is supplied by
springs. The pumping plant consists of one Worthington steam pump
capable of discharging 1,500,000 gallons a day and a turbine (water
power) pump with a capacity of 1,000,000 gallons a day. The steam
pump is used only in dry seasons, or when there is a scarcity of water.
Two of the reservoirs at Stony Point have an elevation of 260 feet above
the river. The force of water in Haverstraw village is such that no fire
engines are required. A ten-inch main, two miles in length, extending
from Stony Point to Haverstraw and connecting all the systems, was
laid in 1901. The total length of mains is twenty miles.

WHEN THE WEST SHORE RAILROAD CAME.

With the opening of the West Shore Railroad to travel, in 1883,
a distinct era of progress began for the Haverstraw villages. Within
a few years a number of new streets were laid out through the western
part of the village, and many dwellings, handsome and spacious, were
built thereon. Eairmount avenue, extending from West street to the
railroad, a distance of 1190 feet, was dedicated to the village by Cath-
erine Ann Hedges, and accepted by the Trustees in August, 1883. New
Main street having been opened through lands of Clarence R. Conger,
George S. Sherwood and William Sherwood, was conveyed to the village
and accepted by the Tmstees in 1885. The New Jereey and New York
railroad was extended from Garnerville to its present terminus at Main
street in 1887. On June 4th, 1889, C. R. Conger and wife presented to
the Trustees an agi-eement dedicating the following streets to the vil-
lage: First, that portion of Tor avenue which extends from the west
erly line of West street, or Broadway, to the easterly line of Hudson
avenue, the same being 908 feet in length and 50 in \vidtli. Sccoiul,
that portion of Hudson avenue which lies between the northerly portion

304 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

of Tor avenue and tlie lands of the said parties of tlie first part and the
lands of Emily DeKoyelles, the same being 1,916 feet in length by CO in
width. Third, a portion of Clove avenue that lies between the northerly
side of Main street and the southerly side of Broad, the same being 240
feet in length and 50 in width. Fourth, the southerly half or portion
of a street called West Broad street, to the easterly line of Hudson
avenue. On the same date James Eckerson and J. Esler Eckcrson ded-
icated the northerly half of a portion of West Broad street. William
McCauley offered to convey to the village those portions of Hudson ave-
nue, Shaqje and Prospect streets which ran over the respective prop-
erties of Mrs. Emily DeXoyelles and Mrs. Elizabeth R. Doncourt. All
these thoroiighfares were accepted by the village.

Building operations were brisk during these years. In 189G the
Xational Bank erected a new building, and in 1900 the new People's
Bank building was completed.

The telephone came in 1884, when the Westchester Telephone Com-
pany received permission to erect and maintain poles and wires for a
system in connection with siirrounding villages.

The first Police Justice, William P. Banigan, was elected in 1886,
and the salaiy of the officer fixed at $500 a year. A noteworthy contri-
bution to the public welfare was made in 1886, whenlMr. William Ben-
nett spread five hundred loads of gravel on Broadway at his o^\na expense.
Portions of Division and Liberty streets and Allison avenue were dis-
continued, and a street opened by John Derbyshire on his own property
was accepted by the Tiiistees, in 1887. First street south of Canal was
discontinued in May, 1888. Following the election of Mr. Charles 11.
Zundel to the Presidency of the Village Corporation, in 1890, many
improvements to sidewalks were made.

ELECTEIC LIGHT.

John Lockwood and his associates, in August, 1887, were the first to
make lapplication for pennission to install an electric light and power
plant in the village. They received a franchise limited to a term of five
yeai-s, on condition that they should furnish free of charge for one year
five incandescent lamps for Main street. When more than a year had
passed without Lockwood & Co. making a ^^sible attempt to establish
an electric system, the franchise was \\^thdra^^^l (October 9, 1888) by

JOHN W. FURMAN.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 305

the Trustees from Lockwood & Co. and granted to tlie Electric Light
and Supply Company. This company also failing to produce I'esults,
Irving BrowTi and associates, in March, 1889, petitioned for permission
to install an electric plant. William P. Bannigan also asked for permis-
sion to introduce electricity. But the Trustees granted no franchise at
that time, and in July, 1890, a request fi'om the Fort Wayne Electric
Comi>any for a franchise was also tabled. In December, 1890, a com-
mittee of four Trustees was appointed to ascertain particulars relating
to the cost of introducing an electric light system, which residted in the
appearance before the Board on January 20, 1891, of Benjamin B.
Odcll, Jr., of Xewburgh, to ask the exclusive right and franchise for an
electric light and power company. At the same meeting the N. Y. & N.
J. Globe Gaslight Company made application for a franchise for a light-
ing system. The taxpayers at a si>ecial election in ]\Iarch indicated their
preference for electric rather than gasoline lights, and in due time an
electric system was installed by the company represented by Mr. Odell.

The o^vnership of the gas works, originally a co-partnership, changed
hands several times until 1894, when the present Haverstraw Light and
Fuel Gas Company was formed. Alexander Forhman of ISTew York
was president and his son secretary and treasurer. These gentlemen
disposed of their interests in 1899, and Henry Hahn of Havei-straw
was elected president, Mr. Constant of Xew York secretary and treas-
urer and Mr. Widenmann managing director. The plant was then much
enlarged, and in 1902 was extended to West Havei-straw and Garner-
ville. The generating works are situated on Clove and Tor avenues.
Gas is furnished for light, fuel and power.

The new house for General Warren Company was finished in
December, 1883; Union Engine Company 'No. 2 was disbanded by order
of the Trustees, for disorderly conduct, April 8, 1884. A new hook and
ladder truck was received and accepted in June, 1887; it was built by
Gleason & Bailey and cost $1,000. The annual report of the Chief
Engineer, William Bonnett, for 1888, exhibited the condition of the
Fire Department at that period: The membership consisted of four
engineers and one hundred and three firemen. There was one hook and
ladder truck, two hose carnages — Triumph ISTo. 1 and General Wan-en
No. 2 — one steamer, 3 two-wheeled hose carts, one two-wheeled cart
for carrying fire extinguidiers, and attached to Rescue H. & L. Com-

306 HISTORY OF KOCKLAND COUNTY.

pany, one hand engine in reserve, with no company, thirteen hundred
feet of hose and forty-five hydrants. The Chief recommended that the
steamer be disposed of and a new hose carriage procured for the com-
pany then attached to the steamer, and that the property in Division
street be sold and a new house built for the company now occupying the
old house. Acting on the advice of the Chief, the services of an engi-
neer for the steamer were dispensed with by order of the Trustees, in
April. The water pressure and supply from the water works being
adequate in all parts of the village, the steamer was no longer needed.
The property in Division street was sold August 10, 1888, to John "W.
Gillies for $1,150, and in April of the following year a lot on Broadway,
for a new fire hoiise, was purchased Irom George S. Shenvood for $1,000.

Town and village ofiScers in 1902 are as follows: Town — Super-
■visor, Josiah Felter; Clerk, William Y. Cleary; Ovei-seer of the Poor,
L. W. Sen^en; Collector, G. "W. ilitch; Assessors, D. Farley, J. Lynch,
George Mardorf ; Justices, L. J. Miu-ray, Cyrillus Myers, James Hartt,
B. J. McGovern. Village of Haverstraw — President, Charles H. Zun-
del; Trustees, Thomas Lynch, Ix)uis Cohn, William H. Bennett, Henry
Furman, Charles D. Archer, Frederick J. Keiser; Clerk, Henrj' Dorl;
Collector, Charles Fre^-fogle; Street Commissioner, William Benson;
Treasurer, Liike SegTiff; Assessors, Thomas Rowan, James Goiu-ley,
William Bacon; Members of Board of Education, Alonzo ^Tieeler,
president; Heniw F. Dorl, George C. Felter, James Hartt, Wilson P.
Foss, William E. Pitts, Charles H. Zundel, Thomas Kowan, Everett
Fowler, Members of the Board of Health, John E. Lynch, Frederick
Bonnett, Charles S. Sloat. Village of West Haverstraw — President,
Dr. John M. Hasbrouck; Clerk, Bernard J. McGovem; Collector,
George H. Girling; Treasurer, George H. Taylor; John Oldfield, Daniel
Farley, Trustees.

Presidents of Haverstraw Village since incorporation: 1854-5,
Edward Pye; 1856, Cornelius P. Hoffman; 1S57, John I. Cole;
lS58-'65, John L. DeXoyelles; 1866, Joseph Cosgrove; 1867-9, John
L. DeXoyelles; 1870, Harrison Felter; 1871-4, Richard A. VerValen;
1875-6, James Osbom; 1877-8, John L. DeXoyelles; 1879-'81, James
Osbom; 1882-4, R. A. VerValen; 1885-9, Rodney W. Milburn;
1890-5, Charles Zundel; 1896, Joseph Snedeker; 1897-9, William Ben-
nett,; 1900-1, Alonzo Bedell; 1902, Charles H. Zundel.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 307

BEICK MAKING.

"Go to, let us make brick and bum them thoroughly," said the
ancieuts in the land of Shinar, 2247 B. C. Bricks have been employed
in the execution of many undertakings since the eariiest times. The
Tower of Babel, the walls of Babylon, the palaces of Xebuchadnezzar
were built of brick. The development of the art. of brick-making was
for thousands of years slow and imcertain. In modern times machinery
is doing much to lighten labor, but in all ages the work required to make
brick has been of the hardest kind. The old manual method destroyed
many a man in the piime of life. The c\istom, recently revived, of
impressing upon brick the name of the manufactm'er, has come down
from the time of Xebuchadnezzar. "Knowledge of the art of brick-mak-
ing probably at no time became extinct in the East, but after the fourth
century, in sympathy with the decline of all other arts, and the dying-
Roman civilization, the knowledge of this art gTadually expired, and
was lost to Western Europe," says our authority. It was under Gov-
ernor Van Twiller of N^ew Amsterdam that the first brick buildings
were erected in this coimtry, and ^vith brick brought from Holland. The
Dutch succeeded well in making a strong and very dui-able quality of
brick. Brick work became common in this country in the early part, of
the eighteenth century, and until the Revolution stopped foreign com-
merce for America, bricks were mostly imported from England and Hol-
land. Vessels sailing with light cargoes from those countries finished
out with bricks rather than with stone ballast. The brick they could sell
at a moderate price, the stone they woiild have had to cast overboard
before receiving their heavy return cargoes. Though there was little
inducement to produce bricks in tliis country previous to the war, still
bricks were manufactured in Haverstraw before that crisis arrived. The
quality of the first brick produced in America compared unfavorably
even with the conmion brick of Dutch and English manufacture, bvit
at the present time the American made brick stands imequalled through-
out the world. The inventive genius of our people, encouraged and pro-
tected by the United States patent system, has in this line as in others
carried them to the front.

Deposits of brick clay extend along both sides of the river almost
continuously from Haverstraw and Sing Sing to Albany. Tliere arc
isolated patches farther south, but these arc not of great extent. There

308 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

is no clay in the Iliglilands nor in the section between New Hamburgh
and Staatsbiirgh. Two kinds of cLiy are fonnd along the river, the blue
and the yellow; the former always underlies the other and occasionally
they shade into each other or are interstratified. They are generally
situated so as to afford the greatest case and economy of working and of
shipping the manufactured product. At Haverstraw the clay is obtained
from the sixty-feet ten-ace while the one-hundred feet terrace is com-
posed of glacial, drift and delta material. There is clay underlying the
whole village, with the exception of the parts Avest of the small stream
that runs throiigh the center. When the demand for building bricks
had increased so as to warrant their manufacture on a large scale, and
when large deposits of clay were found at Haverstraw, this village nat-
urally became a large manufacturing center, and has since continued
to be the largest producer of any district supplying the New York mar-
ket The method of manufacturing has been revolutionized more than
once by improvements made in Haverstraw.

The first brick manufacturer of Havei-straw was Jacob VanDyke, a
Hollander, who began operations in 1771, when the then Haverstraw
village was a mere cluster of houses at Kiers' dock. His brickyard was
situated at Durner Point, on the DeNoycllcs property, where the coffer
dam now is. He made his bricks by hand, after the old Dutch method
and without the aid of machinery of any kind. His clay was tempered
by oxen walking through it. The Holland fashion was to make a brick
that was thinner and wider than the modern American brick. "We also
use more sand now; then the brick was mostly all clay. Van Dyke
employed but sixteen men. His bricks were shipped on sailing vessels
having a capacity of five or ten thousand each. Some of the barges now
employed carry a hundred thousand. The war put an end to Mv. Van
Dyke's business and he and his sons enlisted in the Continental anny
and no further account of them can be given.

The next to make bricks in Haverstraw was James Wood, who has
been termed the father of the brick industry here. Bom in England,
in 1773, where he became a brick-maker, he came to this village in
1815. His first yard here was on Fainnount avenue, in the hollow
south of ilain street. He carted his bricks in wagons to the boat. The
method of manufacture was still crude when he began here, but in the
course of time he introduced several important improvements. The first

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 309

was a mold having a bottom and a vent. Another was a contrivance for
tempering the clay that dispensed with oxen and with spading by hand.
But his most notable discovery was the efficacy of coal dust in combi-
nation witli clay. He was the first to mix coal dust with clay with the
result of making a far better brick than had ever been made before, and
making it in one half the time previously required. This invention
marked the greatest advance ever made in this industry. Since then
we have had bricks of regular shape, with parallel surfaces, plane
faces, sharj) edges and angles and that ring when struck a sharp blow
with a hammer.

From the inland situation Mr. "Wood moved his business after some
years to the river-front, and his was the first yard established on the
beach — after Van Dyke's. It was nearly on the site of the present Den-
ton Fowler & Son's yard. John D. Gardner was the second brick-maker
on the riverside; his yard was at or near Kiers' old landing. Peter
Eeilly was another early starter; his yard is now known as Daniel
DeNoyelles', and situated south of the village.

The first crude brick machine that was made in this country was
invented in 1835 by Samuel Adams, who died at Cornwall, IST. Y. The
machine was simply a hand molder, but he afterwards, about 1840,
invented a power machine. Mr. Adams was also the first to invent and
use an iron tempering wheel. The model of his brick machine may
still be seen in the U. S. Patent Office. The leading type of the
machines now used at Haverstraw and vicinity is known as the Vervalen
machine. Richard A. VerValen of Haverstraw, was the original inven-
tor and builder. In the year 1853, wlien brick-making had attained
large proportions, Mr. VerValen supplied the one thing lacking, the
modem brick machine. The object of this invention was to fill the
moulds more rapidly than could be done by hand, to press the material
into the moulds with greater power and in a stifFer condition than could
be done by hand, but not to produce a pressed brick.

The proportion of sand used varies according to the quality of the
clay and the relative proportion in which the two are found in the bank.
It may be taken on the average as one-third sand and two-thirds clay.
The Haverstraw sand is of excellent quality, and more tlian the clay
gives the bricks of this locality their peculiar character. Wlien molded
they are drawn out and laid on the flat, and when sufficiently dry they

310 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

are edged up, then "spatted" or tapped with a flat board, to give them
a clear edge, then "hacked up." When dry enough, that is, in one or
three days, according to the weather, they are built up in "arches," con-
taining from 28,000 to 35,000 each. Five, ten or more arches are built
up continuously, so as to form a solid mass, which when fully prepared
for bui-ning is called a kiln. This system of bviming is pursued rather
than with permanent kilns, on account of the gi-eater number of bricks
that can be burned in a given space. A Havei-straw yard containing
only two hundred feet frontage can thus make from five to six million
bricks in a season of one hundred and fifty working days. About half
the kilns in Haverstraw are burnt with wood, one with oil, the rest
with coal.

Moulding is carried on in the early hours of the day, the rest of the
time being spent in "hacking up," etc. The machines turn out in ordi-
nary woi'king ten moulds or sixty bricks per minute, or eighteen to
twenty thousand per forenoon. They require the following plant and
help per hachine: twenty-five moulds, for trucks and eight men. A
machine turning eighteen thousand a day requires eight horse-i^ower
high pressure. The standard of full work is to tiu-n out one thousand
brick per day for every soul employed, from the time the clay is dug till
the bricks are on the vessel. Thus, an establishment employing forty
hands should turn out forty thousand a day. The total number of men
employed in a yard is reckoned at fifteen for every machine. A two-
machine yard rcqiiires a strip of laud 180 feet ^vide by 475 feet long.
Clay lands on the river front are worth at least $10,000 an acre without
any improvements. The Excelsior Brick Company paid $75,000 for six
acres. To put a two-machine yard in condition for renting costs $10,000.
What the tenant must put on it is worth $4,000 per machine. The run-
ning capital required is not less than $4,000.

The most noteworthy recent departure from long established pro-
cedure consists in obtaining clay from the river by dredging. Four
yards now get their clay from dredging companies, paying eight cents
a cubic yard. The dredge scoops the clay ivp from the bottom of the
river and dumps it into cars that are carried on floats. When the cars
are all filled the floats are towed to the wharf, and then the cai*s are run
from the floats to a trestle in the brickyard, where the clay is discharged.
One large dredge is able to get out sufficient clay for twenty yards. The

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 31t

clay in the river-bed is two hundred feet deep, and is of good quality,
better than up-land clay. T. G. & G. II. Peck have dispensed with
horses for taking clay out of the bank and use a tramway instead. Rowan
& Scott use oil instead of coal or wood for burning their kiln. The pro-
duct of the Haverstraw yards is nearly all shipped by river, the remain-
der by rail. The river transportation is mostly with barges. The follow-
ing is a list of the brick-makers in the Haverstraw district, together \vith
the nrmiber of machines, number of bricks made in a season, and giving
the name of the owner of the real estate. Beginning at the south:
Brdckauakeirs. Owners 'of Re(al Estate. No. of Product in No. o(f

MaJdhinjes. MUIioms. Barges.

Thomias Malley, D. DeNoyelles & Co 7 13 1

M. Bennett & Son, D. DeNoyeOles & Go 5 10 2

D. Noyelles & Co., D. Noyeaies & Co 3 6 1

John & Tthos. Lynch, D. Noyelleis & Co 5 10 2

D. Fowler & Son, D. Fowler & Son 5 12 2

ExeelsiioT Brick Company, Excelsiior Brick Oo 6 13 3

O'Brien & Ndohiolson, J. Esler Eckerson 2 4 1

Andrew DonneUy, J. W. GiUies & Co 3 6 1

Gormley & Co., J. Esler Eckerson 2 4 1

Nicholson & O'Brien, .T. Esler Eckerson 2 4 1

P. Goldrick, J. E. Eckerson and Est. A. M. Aroher 4 8 2

M. Waldron & Co., J. Esler Eckerson 3 4 1

Snedeker Bros., Snedeker Bros 2 4 1

T. G. & G. H. Peck, T. G. & G. H. Peck 6 10 2

T. G. & G. H. Peck & Co., T. G. & G. H. Peck 6 10 1

Edward Renn, Estate of A. M. Archer 4 8 1

B. J. Allison & Co., B. J. Allison 6 12 1

Bowan & Sooitt, Caltherine Sodtt 8 12 2

Allison & Wood, B. J. Allison 3 6 3

Wood & AlMson, B. J. Allision 3 6 3

Frank Grimes, Haverstraw Clay & Brick Co 4 9 1

Heitling-er & Co., Haverstraw Olay & Brick Co... 4 9 1

D. Fovrler, Jr., & Co., Havers'w Clay & Brick Oo. 5 10 2

McGuire & Lynch, Havers'w Clay & Brick Co 4 8 2

Terrenice McGuire, Ha.versitraw Clay & Brick Co.. 4 8 1

Warrell & Byrnes, Wasihbum, Fowler & Oo 3 6 1

Washburn Bros., Washburn, Fowler & Co 3 6 1

Washburn, Fowler & Co., Washburn, Fowler & Oo. 12 25 4

Patrick Briophy, F. P. & G. C. Felter 3 6 l

Morrissey & Co., Heirs of Adam Ldilburn 3 6 1

Morrissey Bros, Heirs of Adam Lilburn 3 0 1

Riley & Rosie, Watson Tomkins 4 10 1

Riley & Cliark, Watson Tomkins 5 10 1

Oahil, Carroll & Co., Heirs of A. Lilburn 4 10 1

Frank L. Dunigian. Heirs of A. Lilburn 5 12 1

Fowler & Wasihbum, Fofwler & WaJshburn 5 12 2

Th'os. Shankey & Son, Mrs. A. B. Beid 4 8 1

J. W. Felter (at Theills), Heirs of E. W. Christie 2 4

312 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

HAVERSTRAW PUBLIC SCHOOL.

District Number One.

Tho first public school building in this district of which we have any
information, was built in 1810 on the lot on Fourth street, opposite the
Methodist Episcopal church. It was a red frame building of two stories
and nearly as large as the brick building now on that lot. It was the cus-
tom in this state at that time and for years afterwards to call a two story
school house an academy, and this biiilding and also its brick successor
were dig-nified by the name of "The Academy." The second story only
was at first used for school purposes, the first story being occupied by the
teacher as a residence, or sometimes rented. The first teacher in this
building was an Irishman named Quinn, who remained several years and
man-ied one of his pupils, a Miss Wandell, daughter of Daniel Wandell,
the last survivor of the witnesses of the execution of Major Andre. The
names of Mr. Quinn's immediate successors have not been ascertained.
Some years later the school was taught by a Mr. Felch, the father of a
well known Methodist Episcopal preacher named Isaac N. Felch, who
was pastor of the Haverstraw church in 1835 and 1836.

About 1828 the school was taught by another Irishman named
Doyle, who was fond of his cups and also a great disciplinarian, if flog-
ging can be called discipline. At the close of his term he had a "settle-
ment" with his boys, by flogging them all around. Mr. H. B. McKenzie,
then a pupil in his seventh year, was thro^vn over the stairs by an older
boy to escape punishment, and giving notice of what the teacher was
doing, some of tJie citizens interfered and put a stop to Mi*. Doyle's
"settlement."

Zetus Searles was successor of Doyle. He was a local preacher from
Patcrson, a kind man and a good teacher. Luther D. Abbott followed
him, who was also a good teacher. He married Miss Maria Cosgrove,
daiighter of Christopher Cosgrove, about 1830, and resided in this vil-
lage five years, but was not teaching all that time. His wife was an elder
sister of Mrs. Henrietta Holmes, who is still (1902) living in Haverstraw,
at an advanced age. In 1831 Mr. Laban and his son Jacob managed
the school. The day on which school opened Mr. Laban was very pleas-
ant and polite to his new pupils and simply took their names and dis-
missed them, but the next day he wore a sterner aspect, and pointed to a
cat-o'-nine-tails hanging over the door. Mr. L. was, however, a good

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 313

teacher and not unnecessarily severe. He was succeeded by Mr. Cran-
mer, wlio was a superior mathematician and published an almanac of his
own calculation. Samuel Hay then taught the school for a short time.
He was not related to the Hay family of Revolutionary fame. He was
followed by Charles Smith, a bachelor and brother of Wm. Eugene
Smith, who kept the Union Hotel on Main street, now a part of Mr. L.
D. West's saloon, and was related to the Smith family, whose history is
connected with Haverstraw's earlier days. In 1835, Mr. Ebenezer Mc-
Kenzie, father of Mr. H. B. McKenzie, resided in the fii-st story of the
Academy and used one comer as a shoemaker shop. In this year Mr.
David B. Loomis took charge of the school. He was a scholar and a su-
perior teacher, and is well spoken of by the older citizens of Haverstraw,
who were his pupils. He was a strict disciplinarian and had a knack of
throwing a ruler past the head of a disorderly pupil without hitting him.

The wooden Academy built in 1810, which had served its pui"pose
well and was likely to last many more years, was burned in 1846. In
the cold weather of January 21st, the box stove was crammed with wood
to keep fire over night, which probably was the cause of the firing of the
school house; a deep snow on the ground and the lack of fire apparatus
rendered its destruction complete. At this time the school used the first
and second floors; above these was a commodious attic which was used as
a lodge room by the Odd Fellows. Some of the school boys, who had
heard wonderful accounts of the performances of the Odd Fellows' goal,
gathered in front of the church to get a sight of the animal when driven
out by the flames, but, much to their disappointment, the goat did not
appear and probably perished in the conflagration Avith the other para-
phernalia of the secret society. What is now the middle part of the
Oldfield dwelling, south of the school, was a red building, and was saved
from the flames by hanging wet cai-pcts ag'ainst it and by a constant fire
of snowballs sent by the crowd of men and boys.

On February 2nd following, a District School meeting voted to raise
$1300 for a new Academy. To many this sum seemed extravagant and
a meeting was called in March with a view of annulling this vote, but
was unsuccessful, and the substantial brick Academy (now used as Town
and Village Hall) was erected on the same lot and at the time of its erec-
tion was sufiiciently commodious and well adapt<?d for its purpose. While

314 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

this was building, the school was held in a wooden building on Front
street, which now forms a part of the elegant residence of the late Gen.
I. M. Hedges.

Mr. David B. Loomis continued to teaeli in the new Academy till
184S, when he resigned and carried on a private school in the village for
several years. He then removed to Sullivan county and later to Rich-
mond, Indiana, where, after losing all his family, he died at an ad-
vanced age.

Mr. Abram DcBaun, a grad^iate of the State Normal School, suc-
ceeded Mr. Loomis and taught nearly four years. He was a member of
an old Rockland comity family and niamed Miss Jane Fowler. His
daughtei-s, Mrs. Ruth Milbum and Mrs. Anna Foss, still reside in the
village. As a teacher he was very successful. On leaving the school he
engaged in the coal and lumber business. He had a very fine voice and
musical talent and took an active part as a singer in the Fremont cam-
paign in 1856. He died while on a visit to Kansas in 1858, at an early
age, universally esteemed and lamented.

In 1852 the school was placed under the charge of Mr. Jirah I.
Foote, who was also a graduate of the State Xoiinal School. He had
taiight previously at the "Street" school near New City and at Tomkins
Cove. Mr. Foote's rule lasted two and a half years; he was a thorough
teacher and a quiet and successful disciplinarian. While teaching in
Middletown, Orange county, in 1858, he was solicited to return to Ilav-
erstraw, but the Middletown trustees raised his salary and refused to re-
lease him. His principal assistant in the academy was Miss Sarah Per-
due, daughter of Dr. Perdue and later the wife of Rev. R. B. Yard.

During the four years between 1854 and 1858 the school was taught
first by Mr. Sheldon and then by Rev. ^Ir. St. John, who had been the
last pastor of the Methodist Protestant church.

On April 19, 1858, Mr. L. Wilson became principal of the school.
When Mr. Foote, as has been said above, declined the position, he sent
Mr. Wilson to fill the place. Under ilr. Wilson the school increased
in numbers till all the rooms of the Academy were filled and four assist-
ants became necessary. Mr. Wilson, in July, 18fiO, married one of his
assistants, Miss Sarah E. DeRonde, and, on October 15tli of that year, re-
signed his position.

'T'-;^;^^^^"

LUTHER O. MARKHAM.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 315

Eev. Richard S. Ammennan, a IMotliodist preacher, had charge of
the school from October 17, ISfiO, till March 14, 1862. He was suc-
ceeded by Mr. George Secor, who remained till 1863, except a brief
period when he left the school in charge of Mr. Richard L. Giirnee. Mr.
Secor was a finn disciplinarian, but was well liked by his pupils.

Mr. J. O. Austin followed and remained till the latter part of 1871.
He was as successful as circumstances permitted. The crowded condition
of the school was not favorable to good discipline or good insti-uction.
His principal assistant was Miss Lydia Hanson, from Maine, who, much
to the regret of her attached pupils, resigned in 1868 to become the help-
meet of Mr. Silas G. Mackey.

During Mr. Austin's regime the school overflowed and rooms were
hired in the Gordon house and other private dwellings, and assistant
teachers hastily engaged. For many years the Catholics had carried on
a parochial school, first in a school building erected for the purpose, on
Ridge street, and later on in their old and disused church building. This
school the Catholics abandoned in 1871 and its pupils overwhelmed the
public school. To remedy this, the trustees hired the old Catholic church
for a public school and placed Mr. Patrick Reilly in charge, and it passed
by the name of the "Upper school."

At the beginning of the year 1872 two gentlemen teachers were
engaged, Mr. jST. P. Fisher and Mr. Luther O. Markham, graduates of
the Albany Xormal School. Mr. Fisher was installed in the Academy
and Mr. Markham in the "Upper school."

With well qualified teachers and enlarged accommodations, a marked
improvement followed, but it was at once evident that the above exi^e-
dients could be but temporary and that permanent and improved school
buildings were necessary, and after several years agitation and several
preliminary meetings a school meeting was held March 9, 1883, when
it was voted to build a new school house, and the site on the corner of
Hudson and Fairmount avenues was selected and $20,000 voted, of
which $3,000 was to be raised immediately and the remainder on bonds.
The trustees, Messrs. H. W. Babcock, Leonard Cooper and Terrence Ma-
guire, with Messrs. IL N. Wood, G. J. Allison, Hannon Folter, S. G.
Mackey and John Cleary were appointed a building committee and work
immediately commenced.

316 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The south part of the present building was ready for occupancy in
1884, and school was opened in September of that year, Mr. L. 0. Mark-
ham being appointed principal, Mr. Fisher retiring. Mr. Fisher, after
teaching acceptably in otlier schools in the county, obtained a permanent
position in the New York Custom House. He resides in Nyack, N. Y.

In the year 1859, while Mr. Wilson was in charge, the need of in-
struction for colored children, who wei'e growing up in ignorance, was
manifest. Occasionally one tried to get into the public school, but was
unwelcome, the inflamed condition of public sentiment, before the Civil
war, in regard to slavery and the race question, prevented peaceful com-
mingling. A separate school for colored children was therefore opened
in the Zion cliurch on Clinton street, under the charge of a colored lady,
and this aiTangvuient continued with slight interruptions until the new
school was opened, when the colored school was transfen-ed to the old
Academy and a white lady placed in charge.

The improved condition of the new public school on Hudson avenue
drew pupils away from the private schools, of which there had been a
number in the village. These pupils and those added by the rapid
growth of the population, soon showed that even in its new quarters the
school was becoming crowded, and August 15, 1894, it was voted to
build an addition on the north end. The STun of $12,500 was voted and
the new building Avas ready for use in September, 1895. A large assem-
bly room occupied the top floor of this addition. The middle floor con-
tained five class rooms and the principal's room, and the ground floor the
furnace room and commodious quarters for the colored school.

Most of the assistant teachers were Normal graduates, and the school
continued to grow and flourish. The school had been hitherto carried on
under the general common school system, but by a vote of the district
in Febniary, 1897, its government was changed into that of the Union
Free School system under a Board of Education of nine trustees. Hon.
Alonzo Wheeler was chosen President of this Eoard and still (in 1902)
continues in this position. Mr. Markham was elected Superintendent
and the High School department added under the Board of Regents of
the University, by which the school became entitled to additional public
moneys from the State and enlargement of its library and apparatus.

The compulsory attendance law, popularly called the Truant law,
though enacted some years previously, had not been thoroughly enforced,

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 317

owing to lack of scliool accommodations, but the new Board gave the
matter attention, and in June, 1897, its committee reported that the hiw
was effective, that the children subject to its provisions were attending
school with a fair degree of regularity. The effect of this excellent law
was to increase largely the school attendance, and to ci'owd the rooms of
the new building. It was found that the children of the colored school,
conducted as it was by only one teacher, were not given the advantages
to which they were entitled, and also that the rooms they occupied with
their small numbers, rendered their instruction \mnecessarily expensive.
Thereiipon, on September 0th, 1807, the Superintendent was authorized
to distribute the colored children through the school according to their
respective attainments; this was done by Mr. Markham ^vith so much
tact that no friction or dissatisfaction arose. The colored children were
kindly received by their white associates and their successes in the public
exercises were warmly applaiuled. The color line was abolished, show-
ing that "The world moves."

The commodious rooms which the colored school "had iised were at
onoe occupied by the Kindergarten, for which they were exactly suited.
This interesting branch of the school had been for many years conducted
successfully by Miss Mary Ann Kedmond and is still imder her charge.

Mr. Markham, the principal and Superintendent, is in 1902 teaching
his thirty-first successive year in this school, a length of service which
has had few, if any, parallels. He has always been popular with his asso-
ciate teiachers and his pupils, is remarkably tactful and successful as an
organizer and as a quiet disciplinarian, and the whole of his administra-
tion has been free from any turmoil or disturbance. The Regents' exam-
inations show that the scholarship is Avell sustained. The ground floor of
the entire building, except the furnace room, is used by the Primary de-
partment. It has aji assembly room, used for general exercises, for teach-
ing music and as a play room, and four other rooms, including the Kin-
dergarten, used for teaching number work, writing and reading. About
250 children are generally found on this floor, where they remain about
a year and a half. They are divided into four classes, each taking its
turn every half day in the Kindergarten and other rooms. Eeading is
taught by the Pollard synthetic system. This system, using diacritical
marks from the very beginning, is found, in comparison with other sys-
tems tried, to save to each child from one to two ycai-s in learning to read.

318 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Miss Lizzie Gormley, who has had charge of the Primary reading depart-
ment for twenty-five years, has been remarkably successful in the appli-
cation of this system.

Judged by the official standards the school as a whole ranks very
high. The High School claims tlie ability to prepare pupils for admis-
sion to college and from it students have gone to Cornell, l^ew York Uni-
versity, Columbia, Syracuse University, Elmira Female College, Vassar
College and to the State l^ormal schools. The school has twenty-one
teachers, all ladies except the Principal. At the opening of the school
year in the fall of 1902, an additional gentleman teacher is to be en-
gaged and an entire business course is to be introduced, which will cover
four years. It will include Advanced Bookkeeping, Business Methods,
Stenography and Typevrriting. The successful completion of this course
will entitle the student to a State Inisiness or stenographic diploma.

PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Since 1896 the King's Daughters Society of Haverstraw has main-
tained a circulating lilirary that has become one of the most prized insti-
tutions of the xdllage. The society itself was organized in 1891, and was
first known as "The Haverstraw Ladies' Home Mission Circle." The
foundation was laid by Miss Sarah Conger Robinson, who was chosen
for the first president. In 1894 the society, upon the sviggestion of Mrs.
W. A. Speck, was expanded into a large charitable organization, and
Mrs. Speck was elected President. At a special meeting of the Exec-
utive Board on July 8, 1895, the president, Mrs. Everett Fowler, pre-
sented a plan for founding a public library as a department of the soci-
ety's work that was carried into effect. A fair was held in the fall in
aid of the new institution. The first board of library trustees, elected
in October, was composed of Mrs. Everett Fowler, Mrs. Ira M. Hedges,
Mrs. Irving Brown, Mrs. W. A. Masker, Mrs. Charles Zundel. The
library was then incorporated and admitted by the Regents to the Uni-
versity of the State of New York. First located in Jenkin's Hall, it was
opened to the public Febniary 14, 1896, wath 100 books on the shelves.
Miss Mary' Van Orden was the first librarian.

In May, 1896, at the regular annual meeting of the society, the con-
stitution was so amended as to include the library. It was also provided
in a separate paragraph that there should always be at least two male

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 319

members ou the board and that these shoiild be chosen from the list of
auxiliary members. In order to conform to the requirements of the con-
stitution, the board of trustees then resigned and the following new
board was elected: Mrs. Everett Fowler, Mi's. Ira M. Hedges, Mrs. W.
A. Masker, Mrs. William H. Carr and Mr. W. A. Speck, the latter two
being respectively treasurer and chairman, while Mrs. Hedges was
secretary.

In November, 189S, tlic library was moved to the old National Bank
building. In Jiily, 1899, Mrs. Denton Fowler made a written propo-
sition to pay into the hands of the trustees the sinn of ten thousand dol-
lars for the purpose of buying land as a site, and erecting a building for
the Kings' Daughters' Public Library, pro\'iding that the biiilding be
named the "Fowler Library Building," and that the society supply an
equal sum. The offer was accepted and a building site at the foot of
Main street has been secured. Much of the actual work connected with
establishing the library has been the contribution of Mr. W. A. Speck.

CHUECHES.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

This was the first church society organized within the present bounds
of the Town of Haverstraw and had its inception in the year 17S1. It
was an offspring of the old English Prc!^b}i;erian Church at Kakiat,
whitlior the Englisli speaking people of this vicinity had been accus-
tomed to repair for public Avorship. A subscription paper pledging sup-
port for the preaching of the Gospel here was signed by the following
named: Peter Parker, Ebenezer Bishop, William Allison, Phcbe
Osborn, Hannah Conkling, Richard Decklins, Lebbeua Knapp, Jacob
Parker, Jacob Theill, Matthew Allison, Bcnjamii: Furman, Joseph Alli-
son, Isaac Furman, Richard Cnim, George Marks, Daniel Wheeler,
John Johnson, Thomas Ellison, John Johnston, Jr., Abraham Cooper,
Benjamin Coe, Jacob Waldron, William Colley, Tobias Derunder,
Joseph Coley, William Dennider, James Gamer, Cornelius Cooper,
William Wiggins, Abraham Storms, Cornelius Bulson, Isaac Youmans,
Gilbert Hunt, Nathaniel Brooks, Thomas Titt, David Springsted, Sam-
uel Allison, Resolvert Springsted, John Phillips, David Springsted (2d),
Derrick Acker, Edward Waldron, Henry Ten Eyck, Floms Crom, Jonas
Knapp, Alexander Bulson, Henry Halsted, John Ten Eyck, Daniel

320 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Phillips, Anthony Bulson, Eli Phillips, John Waldron, Gilbert Phillips,
Job Eabcock, Conrate Kydei-, Thomas Dykins, Amos Ilutchins, Bairnt
Van de Voort, Isaac Parker, Charles Mott, Jared EJnapp, Gilbert Wil-
liams, Jacob KnifFen, Benjamin Allison, Aaron Erower, Peter Allison,
John Briggs, Matthew Benson, John Eobcrts, Xoah Moot, John Conk-
ling. This congTcgation heard the Word of God preached every third
or fourth Sabbath by the Bev. Robert Burns, who was also the minister
of the English Church at Kakiate, and it w-as designated simply as the
"English Protestant Society of Haverstraw." The first trustees named
on the records are Jacob Waldron, Amos Ilutchins and Peter Allison.
Trustee Ilutchins had commanded a company in the Xew York line of
the Continental army in the War for Independence.

On the 17th of A^ignst, 1789, the congregation accepted from
Thomas Smith (a brother of Joshua Hett Smith) the gift of a parcel of
land "for the purpose of erecting a church or meeting house, and for a
school house and burying-groimd," on condition that a pew in the
church and a plot sixteen feet square in the grave-yard be resen'ed for
Mr. Smith and his family. Jacob Waldron, Peter Allison and Ebcnczer
Bishop were the trustees at that time, and they received the deed in
behalf of the congregation. The meeting house was completed and ded-
icated in 1700. It was such an edifice as conformed to the architectural
standards of the period, and as the needs of the congregation required
and their circumstances permitted, a plain but substantial stnicture about
forty feet square. It stood on the croAvn of Calico Hill, by the side of
the now long neglected burying- ground.

For some years previous to the building of the church the Eev. Rob-
ert Burns had confined his ministerial labors to this congregation exclu-
sively, as he was now well stricken in years. Since 1775, the first year
of the Revolution, he had resided near Mead's Comers on a fann of 100
acres that he had purchased from Thomas Smith, and it was doubtless
his presence as a permanent resident in the neighborhood that had been
referred to as "a gracious interposition of divine providence," in pre-
senting "an opportunity" for "planting the preached Gospel among us."
The Revolution had been a trying time for chiirchcs, and ministers who
then had farms to retire to and depend on for siipport were fortunate.
Mr. Burns had a son, David, who was prominent in the public affairs
of the town. When the church was dedicated the pastor was 84: years

TOWN OP HAVERSTRAW. 321

old; his very presence iu tlie pulpit was at once a benediction and an
inspiration to holy living. The congregation grew under his ministry
and the members were bound to him with cords of love and appreciation.
Born in Scotland in 1706, the first fifty-foiu- years of his life were spent
in his native land, and though but fifteen years in America when the war
began, he at once championed the cause of civil and religious liberty,
and through all the years of the conflict, when many around him fal-
tered, he was a tower of strength to the patriots. lie was a gTand patri-
archal figure in the pulpit, but was spared for only a year to preach in
the new church. He died November 22, 1791, and was buried in the
family plot near his dwelling.

The death of the Eev. Robert Burns was a severe blow to the con-
gregation, as many years passed ere the pulpit was again filled as he had
filled it. With the exception of one year, 1797-8, when the Eev. Allen
Blair was the settled minister for the Presbyterian churches at Kakiate
and Haverstraw, these two churches were dependent on traveling min-
isters until the Eev. Samuel Pelton came in 1S17, to take charge of both.
He was installed on the 20th of February, at the age of 40, and took up
his residence in the parsonage at Kakiate. He gave half his time to each
church. From the Kakiate church he received an annual salary of $250
and forty cords of wood, besides the use of the parsonage. From the
Haverstraw church he probably received the equivalent. He was a man
of force and exceptional abilities. Boi'n at Montgomery, Orange county,
he early united vnih the Goodwill Church and was urged by his pastor
to prepare for the ministry. He chose rather to take up the business of
a fanner, and, maiTying, he took up land near Monticello in 1802 and
settled there. Having an inclination toward religious work, he was
largely instnnnental in planting and building up Presbyterianism in
that coTinty. Four churches sprang up from his labors and his name has
been handed down as that of the "father of Presbyterianism in Sullivan
coimty." At last, in 1814, he was persuaded by his old pastor and othei-s
to take up theological studies and qualify himself for the ministry. The
way being opened before him, he was able with great zeal and a mature
mind to quickly master the essentials he lacked, and in the fall of 1815
he was licensed to preach.

Mr. Pelton was an interesting and effective preacher, a devoted min-
ister to the families in his charge. He greatly revived the congrega-

322 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

lions, and at one commumon season, in the year 1821, 110 persons
united with the church. The great debate in which he took part with a
Methodist minister on a platform erected in front of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church of liaverstraw is well known history. Doctrinal distinc-
tions were more emphasized in those days than now. The work that Mr.
Pelton did in this community in the course of a ministry extending over
twenty-three years cannot be adequately estimated in a few lines. His
pastorate was a distinct era in the religious history of the town ; his mem-
ory is still fragrant; the vines that he planted are still bearing fruit. A
stroke of paralysis brought his ministry here to a close in the winter of
1839-'40. With sadness people and pastor parted, and he retired to his
fann near Monticello — but not to die. The hand of affliction was grad-
ually lifted from him; the providential leadings were plain in his life.
Many years, happy and useful, opened before him in the old home; he
never became a pastor again, but did a large amount of Christian work
and at times fillod vacant pulpits. Mr. Pelton had the companionship
of his vdie until 1861, he followed her to the Monticello graveyard in
1864, aged 87.

By this time the congregation had outgrown the old meeting-house,
and the members residing in the village wished to have a place of wor-
ship nearer their homes. It was therefore resolved, in 1839, as a tem-
porary expedient to have one service in the morning, at the old church,
and another in the afternoon, at the village. When the Rev. James Hil-
dreth began his ministry here, April 2, 1840, this was the plan followed.
The village ser\dce was held in the church fonnerly used by the Meth-
odist Protestants. Services in the old church on the hill were discon-
tinued in 1847, the last on November 21st. Mr. Hildreth departed in
1S48, while the present church edifice was in process of erection. The
building site was the gift of Elisha Peck. Midway getween the spread-
ing villages of Samsondale and Haverstraw, and supposedly on the line
of progress, the location was at that time considered advantageous. The
first pastor in the new church was the Rev. Livingston Willard, who
remained but one year. Rev. James H. Trowbridge was ordained and
installed November 27, 1850; resigned 1853. Rev. P. J. H. Myers,
installed September 7, 1854; resigned December 30, 1859. Rev. Spen-
cer Marsh, installed November 26, 1861; resigned 18G8. The minister
that has been longest and best identified with the brick church is the

.^an^r

HENRY HAHN.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 323

Eev. James J. McMalion. In 1868, when Mr. McMahon was pastor
of the Presbyt<?rian Church of Stony Point, an aiTangement was made
by which the Haverstraw cliureli shouhl receive part of his attention.
He preached his fli-st sennon in the brick church on the first Sabbath of
September, and for thirty years continued to be the devoted pastor. In
1875 he relinquished the charge of the Stony Point congregation. Ill
health compelled Mr. McMahon to give up his ministerial labors in
1898, when the Rev. B. F. Parliaman succeeded him. Mr. McMahon
continued to reside on Prospect Hill. A few years of rest so restored
his health that after the departure of Mr. Parliaman he agreed to a
request that he should supply the pidpit, and is continuing in that
relation.

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

From the earliest times this chiu'ch has filled a prominent place in
the community. It is not known at what date the vine was first planted,
but at the dawn of the last century a society had been worshiping here
for a number of years. When the dwellings in the village could yet be
nimibered on the fingers of one hand, John B. Matthias formed a class
of nine persons and preached unto them the Word of God. Mr. Mat-
thias was a class leader from Tarrytown, and by vocation a ship-builder.
He was a man of intellectual power, as well as deep conviction. As
opportunity offered he formed classes in other places also, and united all
into a circuit — the "Bergen circuit," he called it. Numl^ers were added
to the sweet communion here under his ministration. Although he had
now arrived at middle age, this good man was destined for a long career
in the ministry'. In 1811 he was received into the traveling connection,
and his work was not finished until May 27, 1848, when he departed
this life, at Hempstead, L. I., in the eighty -second year of his age.

In 1800 the Methodist meetings were being held at the residence of
Peter DeNoyelles, who was a class leader. The time came when pro-
vision should be made for a church edifice, and on the first of October,
1806, the society accepted from William Smith, son of Thomas Smith,
who was the brother of Joshua H. Smith, the tender of a site with the
conditions that he attached. The situation was choice, though land
values were then not high. The trustees who received the deed were
Peter Dej^oyelles, Peter Allison and Benjamin Sherwood. In this doc-

324 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

unient the party of the first part described liimself as ''William Smith,
of the town of Savannah, in the State of Georgia, Esq.," and stipulated
that the church should be erected within five years from date, and that
a pew should ever be reserved for him, his heirs or assigns. Thus did
this worthy gentleman perpetuate his memory. In 1807 the society was
incorporated under the laws of the State, with five trustees, to whom the
deed was transferred. The five were George Weiant, Peter Corkedale
and the three heretofore named.

The edifice was erected in 1810, a sehoolhonse across the way at the
same time; and the village grew up around them. The church, suiting
the needs and circumstances of its era, was small and inexpensive;
benches served for pews, and carpets were imnecessary ; the front was
painte<l white, the back and sides red. In form it was square and its
measure was thirty-six feet.

The devoted ministers who rode the Newburgh circuit, to which
Haverstraw belonged in 1810, were Robert Dillon and James Shenvood.
Henry Stead was the Presiding Elder of the district, which was the
Albany District. Presumably they were the first who ministered in the
new hoiise of prayer. The following year Haverstraw was joined to the
Philadelphia Conference, in the Berg-en circuit of the East Jersey Dis-
trict, and had John Robertson and John Finley for alternating preachers.
The labors of these two tireless evangelists were divided among twenty-
two places, and once every four weeks each covered the circuit. Reli-
gion filled a large part of the simple lives of the people; the pri\'ilege
of meeting together in His name was cherished all the more because
of the sacrifices which it ensured. Manifestations of deep spiritual emo-
tions often characterized the services. An unseen power took hold of
men. On one occasion the recently bereaved widow of a Revolutionary
soldier, after a fervent supplication "that she might be with him soon
in the Paradise of God," fell prostrate from her knees and expired, thus
receiving an immediate answer to her petition. Doctrinal controversy,
both public and private, was one of the exercises which fanned the fires
of God's tnith in the soul. It was a rare sermon that was not in part,
designed to refute the claims of rival sects. A debate that occun-ed at
this church May 2, 1821, will ever be prominent in the annals of the
county. The Rev. Samuel Pelton, the Presbyterian pastor at Benson's
Corners, and the Rev. Lawrence Keen, who was a Methodist local

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 325

preacher from N'ew York, met on a platform especially erected in front
of the church, and contended each for the faith that was in him. Both
were men of scliolarsliip and intcllectnal power, and for three hours and
a half a great audience listened attentively.

Among the revered men who, ministering to this flock, left an abid-
ing impression, was the Rev. George Banghart, who sang his way into
the hearts of his hearers. The power of song was appreciated by the
early ilethodists and its exercise encouraged. The congregational sing-
ing was thrilling and uplifting. Mr. Banghart frequently ornamented
his discourses with sacred melody. One of the first precentors of whom
tlicrc is record was Ebenezer McKenzie, a man whose influence and
service in more ways than one greatly strengthened the Haverstraw
church. The same may be said of Mr. Heman B. McKenzie, whose
voice for forty years in succeeding generations led the congregation and
Sabbath school in music, and inspired the Rev. J. T. Crane to say in an
article published in 1861 concerning the singing in this church, "'His
praise is delightfiil.' "

Beginning in 1820, and continuing to 1821, camp meetings were
held nearly every year in a pleasant grove northwest of the village, on
lands subsequently occupied by the iron works of Peck & Phelps. Peo-
ple from all the lower river counties, especially from New York, came
to this temple of Nature to enjoy Christian fellowship and the outpour-
ing of the spirit. They came in sloops, on horseback and in wagons.

The Sabbath school had its inception in a class for children, taught
by Miss Harriet Wood, daughter of James Wood, notable for nis
nmprovements in brick-making. Miss Wood gathered the little ones
together first in 1825, but the school was not ofiicially organized until
1833, and then with David M. Vanderpool as superintendent. Mr. Van-
derpool's successor was David B. Loomis, who was also the principal of
the public school. After him came David Cosgrove, James Rutherford
(184-3), John A. Cosgrove (1848), Samuel Cosgrove (1851), John A.
Cosgrove (1853 to 1872), Heman B. McKenzie, Job Holt, Heman B.
McKenzie (1876 to 1886). Pastors of the church then successively dis-
charged the duties of superintendent. In a historical sketch of the
school, written by ilr. McKenzie in 1884, it is said that "during all these
years good and faithful men have filled the positions of secretary and
librarian, nmonii- whom are Mr. I. Wallace Marks, Messrs. George and

326 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

William Slienvood, Mr. Jnhn M. Gardner, Mr. Edward Peek and Mr.
William T. Pnrdy as secretaries, and Mr. Edwin Brockway, Albert Car-
son, Aaron Snedeker, Samuel Snedeker, Charles Lane and Theodore
Fredericks as librarians. The infant class teachers have been Mrs. John
S. Gnrnee, Mrs. Alinira R. Blanch, Mrs. William R. Lane, Mrs. Edwin
Brockway and Mrs. Sophia J. Peck, assisted by Mi"s. Gari'et G. Allison.
The female superintendents have been Mrs. James Ayres, Mrs. E. S.
Arndt, Mi-s. C. Gardner, Mrs. 11. B. McKenzie, Mrs. Samuel Snedeker
and Mrs. Silas G. Mackey. Many other persons whose names are not
mentioned here have been connected with this school and have done
good service for the Master."

Among the circuit preachers who came to Haverstraw were a num-
ber famous in the annals of Methodism. The colleague of George Bang-
hart, in 1820, and of John Potts, in 1819, was the celebrated orator,
Charles Pitman. Other circuit preachers were Stephen Martindale,
Phineas Rice, Manning Force, James Atkins, who died at the early age
of 27 at the home of John Theill, in this town; Bartholomew Weed,
Anthony Atwood, Isaac X. Fclch and Mulford Day, all previovis to
1840. In the congregation the leading men about the years 1827-'30
were Peter DeNoyelles, George Weiant, Nicholas Williamson, James
Wood, Leonard Guniec, William Osborn, George Smith, Michael Sned-
eker, William Palmer, Daniel Philips, James Dmmond, Abram Allison,
Ezra Mead, Matthias Whriterour, Walter Smith.

In 1831, during the ministration of James H. Dandy, a subdivision
of the congregation on matters of doctrine resulted in the organization
of "the Methodist Protestant" society. Among those who seceded were
James Wood, George Weiant, George Smith, Michael Snedeker and
Walter Smith. The church at the corner of Middle and Third streets
was erected by this society. In November, 1867, the congTegation hav-
ing fallen away, the building was sold to the German Lutherans.

In the year 1840, during the pastorate of the Rev. Mulford Day,
a growing sentunent in favor of a new house of worship for the Meth-
odist Episcopal society culminated in decisive action. At a meeting in
the preacher's house on June 1st, the following were appointed a build-
ing committee: John S. (lurnee, Abram Allison, La\^Tence DeXoyclles,
Lewis R. Mackey, Leonard Gurnee. Plans were prepared by John R.
McKenzie, and Abram Cosgrove was the builder. The site was on the

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 327

lot beside the old clnircli. Though yet incomplete, the new sanctuary
was dedicated and for the first time occupied December 17, 1840. The
dedicatory sermon was preached by the Rev. Charles Pitman, from Rom.
8:3-4. The old building was sold and moved away, to be used as a bam.
Convenient, neat and even beautiful, the new house of God was the
pride of the village. In the shapely tower a sweet toned bell called to
prayer or solemnly rang the knell for a departed soul. A new voice in
Israel, it was an inspiration as well as a joy, for many hearing it came to
the altar as converts. The revival which began that first Sabbath and
continued for many days was the most powerful that had ever been
known in the country. One hundred and twenty persons piiblicly made
new resolves. The memory of the pastor under whose guidance these
great works were performed is still "as ointment poured out."

The choir was organized in 1S43, with Ilcman B. McKenzie as
leader. The same year, the Methodists in the sections liaviiig become
sufficiently numerous, Haverstraw, Stony Point and Theills were con-
stituted as one ministerial charge, with George S. Birown as the first
pastor. In 1846, while Michael E. Ellison was pastor of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, the Rev. Amassa S. Freeman began his long ministiy
over the newly organized Central Presbyterian congregation. An accel-
eration of manufactTiring made this period one of great prosperity for
the village, in which all the churches participated. The system of rent-
ing pews, succeeding free-will contributions, was adopted by this church
in 1850. The congregation then had 170 full members. The parson-
aae was erected in 1851, and the Rev. James H. McFarland was the fii*st
to occupy it. The year 1855 is memorable for a great revival and the
purchase of a new bell, the pastor being the Hex. Joseph B. Dobbins.
In 1858 the church edifice was enlarged, fifteen or twenty feet being
added to the length. Haverstraw was honored in 1859 by the presence
of the Newark Annual Conference, Bishop Simpson presiding. It was
an exceptionally interesting week for Haverstraw. Bishop Janes
preached the Conference sennon. In a resolution the body tendered
"special thanks to the choir of the church for their very delightful
music; such nnisic as we have be«n able to understand and enjoy."

At the outbreak of the Civil War the Rev. Jonathan T. Crane was
ihe pastor. He was the man for the crisis. A fearless, unswerving
patriot, a scholarly, effective preacher, he was singularly well fitted to

328 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

be a leader in tliis community at sncli a time. During his ministry the
house of worship was enlarged again being re-opened for divine service
on the first Sabbath of May, 1861. The morning sennon was by Bishop
Janes; in the evening the Rev. L. R. Dunn preached. As it then stood
the church was ci-ucifonn in shape, the length being one hundred and
the extreme breadth fifty-four feet. The main floor contained 125 pews,
besides space for the choir. With the end gallery, which coiild seat
about one hundred, there were seats for seven hundred people. In emer-
gencies seats could be provided for a thousand.

The planting of the Centenary Chapel was a fniit of the ministry
of the Kev. Ralph S. Amdt, who came here in 1864, and was the first
pastor to stay three years. A niimber of young people living between
liaverstraw and Xew City had been converted during a re^^val. Desir-
ing to confirm them in the faith, Mr. Anidt occasionally preached in
their neighborhood. This was the beginning of a society, the first trus-
tees of which were John I. Cole, William Felter, W. W. Hyer, ClaiTet
A. Tremper and H. J. Comett. Harmon Felter, James E. Tremper
and Garret G. Allison, of the parent church, gave personal aid and
encouragement to the work. Land for a building was pi'esented by W.
H. and J. P. Tremper, and a fund of $2,500 for a building was raised
for the most part by members of the Havci-straw Church. The corner
stone was laid in the spring of 1867, Mr. Arndt presiding at the cer-
emony; the dedication occurred in October.

A similar enterprise carried on by brethren of the old church resulted
in the building (1872-3) of a new church at Gamerville; Eleazcr and
Joshua Penney and the Felter brothers were interested in this work.
The cost of the edifice was $6,500.

A debt of $7,000 was cleared away during tlie pastorate of the Rev.
William Tunison, 1867-9, and the congregation began the next decade
with a membership of 346, besides 30 probationers. The organ was
enlarged and improved at a cost of $500 in 1880. Two years later
extensive improvements of a decorative character were made to the
interior of the edifice. The organ was at this time moved from the rear
to the front of the auditorium. The year 1883 was marked by the
appearance of Francis ]\lurpliy, the apostle of temperance, who con-
ducted a series of meetings. Tlio congTegation during the last half
century has given many evidences of liberality and pecuniary ability.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW.

329

In 1SS5 $1,000 was raised to cancel debts and meet expenses; the next
year steam heat was introduced at a cost of $2,000; in 1890 improve-
ments costing $3,000 were made to the interior, including new pews.

It will be obsen^ed that this church has had an exceptionally useful
and prosperous career and has been a blessing both to its members and
to the community at large. The present officers are Trustees, Isaac
Milburn, Aaron Snedeker, William T. Purdy, Charles R. Christie,
George R. Felter, (Treasurer), Jacob Y. Smith, Ilannon Felter, Hiram
Blair, Benjamin Gurnee (Secretary), Charles B. Lane. Stewards:
Ileman B. McKenzie, Alfred J. Carson, Wilson Milburn, John W. Gil-
lies, Perry Dcmarest, Daniel Milburn, John Zorn, George DeWitt,
Frank B. Case.

MFXISTERIAL ROLL.

Preachers in charge and preachei*s who served Xewbiu'gh Circuit,
Bcroen Circuit and Ilavcrstraw Circuit:

1799. RobeT*t Green.

1800. 8amiiel Thomas, Elijah Wool-

sey.

1801. Samuel Thomas, Mattihiae

Swaim, Da\'i(l Best.

1802. .Tames Herron, Thomas Strat-

ton.

1803. Thomas Stuatton, Michael B.

Bull.

1804. Robert Dillon, Isaac Candee.

1805. Williiam Vredenburgfh.

1806. Isaac Candee.

1807. Thomas Woolsey, Asa Cum-

mings.

1808. John Crawford, Samnel Fow-

ler.

1809. Robert. Dillon, .Tamies Bdwiardls.

1810. Robert. Dillon, .lames Shterwood.

1811. .Xohn Robertson, ,Iohn Piniley.

1812. Dandel Fidler. .Toihn Finley.
181,'!. Joseph Totten, .loseph Benniett.

1814. .Stephen Majrtind&le, Phineias

Rice.

1815. Davkl Best, John Finley.

1S16. John Finley, Watters i?u:Tows.

1817. Peter Vamiest, Abram. Ketichum

1818. Joseph Lvhrand, William Smith

1819. John Potts, Charles Pitman.
1S20. Creorg'e Danghart, Ch&Pleis Plit-

mian.

1829. Thomas Daviis, James McLau-

rin.

1830. Jiames H. Dandy, Georg^e F.

Brown.

1831. James H.Dandy, W.illiiam Baker.
1833. .Ia,me.s V. Potts, William Baker.
1833. Danin il. Prefctymian, P^ter D.

Day.
1833. LaWn il. Prettyman, Peter D.
Hanley.

1835. Lsaac N. Pelch, William Hanley.

1836. Lsaiaic N. Peleh, Beni. N. Reed.

1837. Matthew Mla.llanl.son, Alex. Gil-

more.

1839. MiiWord Day, Lewiis R. Dunn.

1838. Josiah F. Canfield.

1840. Mulfopd Day.

1841. Joseph Ashbr'Ook.
1843-4. Georg'e F. Brown.
1845. Jolhn N. Cmne.
1846-7. Michael E. Ellison.
1848-9. Rodney Winlans.
1850. John W. McDoug^ii.
1851-2. .latmes Ayars.
1853. .Tiames A. McFarland.
1854-5. .Toseph B. DobMns.
1S5C-7. Francis A. MoiTell.
1858-9. Niclholas Va.n9ant.
18G0-1. .Tonlathan T. Cnane.
1862-3. James Midwinter Freemian.

330 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

1821. George Bang'h^rt, WUliaim 1864-7. Ralph S. Anndt.

Leonard. 1867-9. WMliaim Tunison.

1822. Mamiing- Force, Benjamin Col- 1870-2. Tbama;s H. Smith.

lins. 1873-5. Charles Laren.

1823. BeiiJ. Collins, James AloLns. 1876-8. D. K. Lo^'ery.

1824. Bar till olomenv Weed, Joseph 1879-81. Jamies K. Bryan.

Gary. 1882-4. Eacfha«l Hareoiirt.

1823. Bartholomew Weed, x\n*hony 1885-7. James W. ilarshall.

Atwood. 1888-'90. James B. Faulks.

1820. David Bartane, William A. Wig- 18891-3. M. D. Churoh.

gins. 1894-5. John Atkinson.

1827. David Barrtdne, William Mic- 1896-7. E. il. Garten.

Dougle. 189S-'03. S. P. Hammond.

1828. Geo. Danghart, James Lawton.

THE CENTEAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Preacliing having reference to the organization of a Presbyterian
church in tlie village was begun on the second Sabbatli of February,
184C. The first worship]>ers were but a handful. Being encouraged
to go forward, they presented a petition at the next meeting of the
Fourth Presbytery of Kcw York, that a commission be sent to this vil-
lage to organize a society to be called "The Central Presbyterian Church
of Haverstraw." The commissioners that were appointed met with the
congregation iu the edifice formerly occupied by the Methodist I*ro-
testant society, on the evening of iMarch 22, 184(), on which occasion the
congregation was regularly and otficially constituted and organized with
nine members, namely; Epenetus Wheeler, Amos Briggs and wife,
Henry Garner and wife, Ceorge Gonrl(>y and wife, James ]\Iax\vell and
wife. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Erskine Mason, 1). 1)., the
charge to the two elders then installed was spoken by the Rev. Horace
Eaton, and the charge to the people was laid upon them by the Rev.
Edwin Holt.

This small congregation had been ministered to by several supplies
when on the last Sabbath in June, of that same year, the Rev. Amassa
S. Freeman came to preach for a day. As illustrating how a.n appar-
ently trivial incident may influence one's whole life. Dr. Freeman him-
self related this circumstance: On the day when he was graduated
from the theological seminary in New York one of the members of his
class invited him to meet socially that evening at the house of his father
in the city. When they were assembled for the last time the friend that
by chance or otherwise was sitting beside Freeman remarked, 'I am
engaged to preach next Sabbath at Haverstraw, but I want to go in

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 331

another direction; will joii go to Ilaverstraw in my place?' The next
Saturday afternoon Freeman was a passenger on the Warren, and that
night the guest of Mr. Amos Briggs, at Samsondale. Mr. Briggs was one
of the ciders of the congregation, Mr. Ephenctvis Wheeler being the
otlier. The theme of the yoimg minister's sermon the next morning at
the "little chiirch" was "God's exceeding great and precious promises."

Mr. Freeman was invited to remain for a while as a siipply, and he
consented. For a few Sabbaths services were held both morning and
afternoon, and then for awhile in the afternoon only, as a reviving Bap-
tist society had obtained the privilege of using the church on Sabbath
morning. Already the Presbyterians had decided to build a church of
their own, and a piece of land had been offered for the purpose by Judge
Allison and the Kev. Edward Hopper. The following is a copy of the
original subscription list now in the possession of Mr. William A. Specls :
"We whose names are hereunto subscribed do respectively promise and
agree to and with the Trustees of the Central Presbyterian Church of
ITavei"straw, to pay to them or to such committee as may be appointed by
them to receive the same, the sum set opjiosite to our respective names,
to be by them appropriated and applied solely and entirely for the pur-
chasing and furnishing of materials for the erecting and completing of
a church edifice or house of worship for said Central Presbyterian
Church, which house shall cost and be valued at the sum of not less than
two thousand dollars, to be located upon some site to be gratuitously
obtained, and which shall be on the Ridge height of ground near the
main road known as Main street, mthin the vicinity of the large chest-
nut trees just north of the village of WaiTen and between Division and
Warren streets, and which sums here subscribed shall be considered due
as soon as the sum of twelve hundred dollars shall be subscribed hereto
by bonafide subscribers and payable in such installments as may be
arranged, regulated and required by said tiiistees, to the end that the
same may be completed with all practical facility and despatch. (Dated)
June 22, 1846. Henry Gamer, $500; Alexander Davidson, $25; Amos
Briggs, $100. 'I hereby pledge myself to obtain from friends of the
cause in the city of Xew York, donations to the amovmt of (E. Wheeler),
$100; George L. Allison, $15; Samuel G. Johnson, $20; John DeBaun,
$10; John Smith, $10; Robert Smith, $5; George GoTirley, $5; John I.
Suffern, $100; James Maxwell, $5; James Gourley, $5; John English,

332 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

$15; James Graham, $5; Abraham Cosgrove, $10; D. B. Loomis, $10;
Alexander Stewart, $2; James Eussell, $5; John Hughes, $1; John Bell,
$2; George Senior, $1; William Watt, $1; Thomas Boyd, $1; Robert
Lee, $2; James Wilson, $1; William McWilliams, $1; John Wilson, $1;
George M. Smith, $1; Benjamin West, $2; M. McConnell, $1; John
Wiles, $5; Sampson Marks, $10; Abraham Goetschins, $25; Samuel
Knapp, $10; G. I. Wheeler, $5.„ (Several names undecipherable, $4.)
Mr. Hopper is famous as the author of the hymn "Jesus Savior, Pilot
Me." He was the son-in-law of Elder Wheeler and assisted at the laying
of the corner-stone. The era was a thriWng one for the village and the
congregation looked futureward mtli confidence. The work of constinic-
tion began in the summer, and first a long shed was erected on the church
lot, to serve for awhile as a temple of worship, also as a shelter for the
carpenters during the building, and finally, for the horses. The first
service under the shed was held on August 16th. The corner-stone was
laid with appropriate ceremony on the 21st of the same month. The
walls of the new building were ready for the rafters when, on October
13th, they were blown down, even to the basement windows. But they
were rebuilt, and the basement of the church was opened for public wor-
.ship Febmary 7th, 1847. Thus far Mr. Freeman had been preaching as
a licenciate and officiating as stated supply, but on October 14th, 1847,
jie was ordained to the ministry, in the Central Presbyterian Church of
jSTew York, of which the Rev. Dr. William Adams was pastor. The ser-
mon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Erskine Mason, of the Bleeker Street
Church, and the charge was given by the Rev. Dr. Adams, who had been
Mr. Freeman's pastor. The new church in Haverstraw being finished, it
was dedicated on September 19th, 1847. The sennon was preached by
the Rev. James I. Ostrom, then Moderator of Presbytery, who had also
presided at the corner-stone laying. There was a large attendance on
this occasion.

The demolition of the walls was not the only crisis that the congre-
gation passed through while the edifice was in course of erection. There
had come a time when resources failed, and it seemed that the aiiditorium
would never be completed. Then it was that the yoimg minister, who
was not yet a pastor, came to the rescue, and armed with a letter of rec-
ommendation from Presbytery, solicited and obtained financial contri-
butions in New York. The first to respond was William E. Dodge, who

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 333

had beeu superintendent of the Sabbath school which as a boy Mr. Free-
man had attended.

Mr. Freeman was installed as pastor on Wednesday evening, April
24, 1849. The Eev. Dr. Adams of New York preached the seniion,
the Rev. Mason ISToble gave the charge to the pastor, and the Eev.
Thomas H. Skinner the charge to the people. The Rev. Living-ston Wil-
lard, then pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, made the closing
prayer. The new pastor was the son of Nathaniel and Charlotte Kcttel
Freeman of New York. Bom in Boston Oct. 6, 1823, he was but 25
years old when installed into his first and only pastorate. A gi-eat gTand-
father of his, the Rev. Thomas Prentice, was pastor of the First Congre-
gational Church of Charlestown, Mass, from 1739 until his death, at
the age of eighty, in the year 1782, — a church that was burned when
Charlestown was destroyed by the British, in 1775. Amassa S., the
second of three sons, was prepared for college in the Cornelius Institute,
under the Rev. J. J. Owens, D. D., and was graduated from the New
York University in 1845, and from Union Theological Seminary in
1846. The congTegation, being now fully equipped, entered upon a
career which has ever since been a blessing to all connected. Up to this
time Mr. Freeman had lived successively with the families of Mr. James
Rutherford, Mr. Henry Gamer, Mr. D. B. Loomis and Mr. John
DeBaun. In 1850, it was in the month of April, he was man-ied to
May, daughter of Dr. John S. Conger of New York, at the Collcgate
Reformed Church, then situated in Lafayette Place.

The next ten were years of growth for the Central Presbyterian
Church; in 1860, it being necessary to enlarge the accommodations,
twenty-four feet were added to the leng-th of the building. At the
re-opening, August 29th of that year, an appropriate discourse was deliv-
ered by the Rev. Charles S. Porter, then of Boston, the boyhood pastor
of Mr. Freeman, in the Second Avenue Church, New York. During the
war Mr. Freeman was a strong supporter of the Union cause. The twen-
ty-fifth annivei-sary of the church was duly observed in 1871, and made
memorable to Dr. Freeman and his wife by many expressions and tokens
of affection. Then, by way of marking the thirty-seventh anniversary
of this continuous ministry, in Jime, 1883, a tower was built upon the
church, with a bell and clock. Then followed the fortieth anniversary,
with a sermon from the words, "These forty years the Lord thy God

334 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

hath been with thee," the pastor being assisted on the occasion by his
schoohnate and college classmate, the Rev. William P. Eireed, D. C,
of Philadelphia. In 1888 the entire interior of the church was remod-
eled and refrescoed, and a new organ placed behind the pnlpit. In 1891
tlie forty-fifth anniversary occasion was obser\'ed, and from the text,
"These forty and five years," pastor and people gratefully reviewed the
dealing's of Providence with them.

Dr. Freeman was spared to see the fiftieth anniversary of his min-
istry in Haverstraw and the great celebration which attended it. The
celebration began on Sabbath moniing, June 27 (1896), with jubilee
services in the Opera House. Other churches in the village were closed.
The house was filled to overflowing. A special choir of fifty voices led
the singing. In the course of a mejnorable sermon Dr. Freeman said:
"I trust I am grateful for the harmony that has prevailed through all
these years. In our meetings of Session, in which the elders with myself
have consulted together for the spiritual welfare of this church, there
has been no divided counsel. I have had the co-operation of those asso-
ciated with me in years past, as I have of those constituting the present
Session, namely, Elders Duryea, Eeynolds, Wilson, Wheeler and Cooper.
The same has been true of the board of trustees. ... I am gi-ate-
ful, too, that I have been pennitted to serve such a people, from whom
I and mine have received such uniform loyalty and kindness. ]^ot only
have they met their pecuniary obligations, but in their thoughtfulness
have anticipated and cheerfully responded to every want or wish.

. I am thankful for the pleasant relations sustained with people and
pastors of other churches. ... I think of many who loved this
church, and who shared with us in its early struggles. . . . What
a happy day this would have been to them!"

Afternoon services were held in the church, and the union com-
munion .service Avas largely attended. In the evening the principal
address was delivered by the Rev. Wilson Phraner. On Monday the cel-
ebration was mainly in charge of the Presbytery of Hudson, and
upwards of fifty clergymen paid their respects to Dr. Freeman. Meet-
ings were held in the church by the Presbytery, Sabbath school and
Christian Endeavor Society, morning and evening, and addresses were
delivered by J. D. Hopkins, Alonzo Bedell, D. A. Melvin, Judge Alonzo
Wheeler and by Rev. C. L. Thompson of New York. Tuesday was Cit-

LAVAI.ETTE WILSON.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 335

izen's Day, and the village was handsomely decorated. In the evening
there was a parade of civic societies, including the fire department. A
mass meeting was held in the Opera House, with General Ira M. Hedges
presiding, at which addresses were made by Rev. Eugene Hill, Rev. John
Atkinson, Rev. Sylvester Malone, Regent of the State University ; Rev.
J. W. H. Weibe'l, Rev. J. R. Brown, Rev. J. W. Marshall, Rev. J.
McMahon, County Judge A. S. Tompkins, J. D. Blanvelt, Judge
Wheeler, Assemblyman Otis H. Cutler, Horatio N. Wood, William T.
Purdy, John W. Funnan, Alonzo Bedell, T. F. Redmond and W. D.
Lincoln. A poem was read by Rev. W. G. Hacsclbarth, of Xyack. Sev-
eral choruses were sung, notably the "Gloria," from Mozart's Twelfth
Mass. A band rendered a special composition entitled "Fifty Years
Ago," dedicated to Dr. Freeman, and composed by Bandmaster George
C. Glassing. A purse of $2,000 was presented from the citizens by
General Hedges, a gold case containing fifty dollars in gold from lona
Lodge, K. of P. ; fifty dollars in gold from Sequel Lodge, I. O. O. F. ; a
couch from Stony Point Lodge, F. and A. M. ; a chair from the Fire
Department; a silver loving cup from David Pye Post, G. A. R.

That a whole village should give itself up to celebrating the fiftieth
annivereary of the pastorate of a minister, is sufficient evidence of the
quality of that ministry, and of the place that Dr. Freeman filled in the
community. The long pastoral relation was dissolved by his death on
April 27, 1898. Dr. Freeman fell dead in the street near the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church, at 4 p. m., when out making pastoral calls.
Rev. Dr. D. F. Bonner of Florida, ?^. Y., presided at the funeral seiwice
in the Central Presbyterian Church, and remarks were made by Revs.
W. W. Atterbury, D. D., J. E. Lloyd, G. LI. Wallace, Dr. Charles
Beattie, Dr. Phraner and J. B. Faulks. A flag which Dr. Freeman had
presented for the ladies of the village to Captain Pye's company on
their departure for the war, was draped over his coflSn. The interment
was in Mount Repose Cemetery.

The present pastor is the Rev. George H. Munsell, the eldei-s ai-e
Isaac Duryea, H. M. Reynolds, Alonzo Wheeler, L. Wilson, D. C. Wool-
sey, John Eckerson. Trustees, William H. Carr, Charles A. Zundle,
Henry C. Vervalcu, Alonzo Bedell, Oscar Reynolds.

336 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ST. PETEK'S.

The first mass celebrated in Haverstraw was about 1843, at the home
of Patrick Eeilly, in the old stone house north of the First Presbyterian
Church. Until regular services were instituted here, it was the custom
of the Catholics on the west side of the river to attend mass at Ver-
planck's Point. An arrangement was made after a time by which Father
Hackett of Ver Planck's Point gave part of his services to the people of
Haverstraw for aboiit five years, celebrating mass for them on Sundays
as often as he conveniently could, for a while in the old stone house of
]\fr. Reilly and afterwards on the upper floor of a building at Benson's
Comers, in West Haverstraw. Meanwhile funds were being raised with
which to build an edifice. The first resident pastor was Father McGviire,
but he remained only for a few weeks, and again for a time Father
Hackett, of VerPlanck's Point, ministered to the congregation on alter-
nate Sundays. In 1849 Father McKeon was sent to Haverstraw as res-
ident pastor. The church edifice was in course of constiiiction when he
arrived, and it had not been finishel long before it was necessary to
enlarge it. Father McKcon continued as pastor for three years and was
succeeded by Rev. Terrence Scollon, in August, 1852. No records of a
date anterior to Father Scollon's time have been found. In 1857 the
Rev. Patrick Mahoney became the pastor and during his term the rec-
tory in Ridge street, now used as a convent by the Sisters in charge of
St. Peter's School, was built; also the Church of the Immaculate Con-
ception at Tompkins Cove.

Father Mahoney's pastorate is notable further because of the erect-
ing of the present church edifice on Broadway. The date of its com-
pletion was 1869. Father Mahoney continued as pastor nineteen years,
and was succeeded temporarily by the Rev. "William P. O'Kelly. The
Rev. Henry P. Baxter was made pennancnt pastor in 1876. His first
impoi'tant work was to purchase and lay out the present Cemetery of
St. Peter, in 1877. Next he erected the present parochial residence on
Broadway, adjoining the new church, and on September 8, 1844, opened
St. Peter's Parochial School. His last work of note was the building
of the church at Grassy Point. He died in September, 1891, after a
pastorate of nearly fifteen years. He was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas
F. McGare, the present pastor, who had been an assistant of the priest

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 337

in the parish since 1878. The church debt at that time was $42,000,
but in less than six years afterward it was cleared off. Father McGare
also completed the church by erecting thereon a steeple. At a cost of
two thousand dollars he put in a steam plant. He put in new cathedral
stained glass \vindows and set up a beautiful brass altar rail. He put in
a chime of ten bells in the belfrey, thus giving to St. Peter's the distinc-
tion of being the second church in the Archdiocese of New York, the
cathedral of St. Patrick's being the first, to possess a chime of bells. He
had the church beautifully frescoed and put in a large Jardine organ.
He also had the outer walls of the church pointed up and painted, and
new gutters built around the entire church. He beautified the church-
yard, converted the old church building into a beautiful hall and built
two school buildings, one by the side of the new hall, the other at its
rear. His latest work was the erecting of a new sacristy.

For several years he attended the missions at Grassy Point and Con-
gers. In the latter place, in 1893, he built the Church of St. Paul.
Some time aftei-wards, however, he lost both missions. In 1894 Grassy
Point was given to Tompkins Cove parish and in January, 1896, the
Rev. Michael Mulhern was appointed first resident pastor of St. Paul's
Church, Congers.

GERMAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.

This congTegation was formed in 1875 (October 9) by the imion of
the First German Evangelical and the Trinity Lutheran Churches. The
Rev. Herman Schoppe was the first minister under the new organization.
The house of worship was originally erected for the ilethodist Pre-
testants. A parsonage is also owned by the congregation. "Well remem-
bered ministers, besides Mr. Schoppe since the union, have been the
Rev. Alfred Tilley, Mr. Franke, Charles J. Spillman and Marin HoUs.

Services for German people were first held in Haverstraw in 1857,
from which time to the organization of the German United Societies, in
18G1, the people were ministered to by the pastor of the Dutch Evan-
gelical Church of Clarksto-\\m, the Rev. Mr. Wahrenberger, who con-
tinued to occupy the pulpit until 1S6G. He was succeeded by the Rev.
Mr. Wirtz, who was followed in 1867 by the Rev. Mr. Berger, under
whom there was a division in the congregation. Some left and organ-
ized another congregation, which worshipped in Division street. Mr.

338 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Berger preached there for a time and was succeeded by the Eev. Mr.
Somers. The Eev. Mr. Meinachcr, pastor of the okl church, died sud-
denly while pastor, and was succeeded by the Rev. Strieker, Weisel Win-
teieck and Schoppe. Under the last named the division was healed and
the two congregations reimited.

ST. LUKE'S PEOTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHUECH.

St. Luke's parish was incorporated as an independent parish on the
9th of September, 1871, under the laws of the State of New York. The
services of the Episcopal Church had been held for a number of years
previously, first by the Eev. J. B. Gibson, D. D., then rector of Trinity
parish, and after him by the Eev. Ebenezer Gay, Jr. St. Luke's parish
owns a building which it bought from a society of Baptists who were
unable to maintain a foothold.

The services of the church were abandoned for about a dozen years,
but were resumed permanently near the close of the year 1893, when
the present rector, the Eev. William A. Maskei', was called, and he has
maintained the services regtilarly since.

The Eev. Pr. J. B. Gibson organized the parish, and after him it
was ministered to by the Eev. Walter Delafield, D. D., late of Chicago,
and now deceased, and by the Eev. A. T. Ashton, now Archdeacon of
Dutchess.

CONGEEGATION OF THE SONS OF JACOB.

Previous to the year 1897 the Je\\ash brethren of this town assem-
bled together for worship at a private house. In that year the congre-
gation was organized in the Simons building, with the Eev. A. Epstein
as rabbi, and the foUo^ving officers; President, A. Goldstein; Vice Pres-
ident, S. Eoskam; Secretary, William Levi; Treasurer, H. Simon. The
number of membei's was about fifteen. The church was completed and
dedicated September 6, 1899. The Rev. Dr. Drachamen of New York,
the Eev. P. Mendes of New York assisted Eabbi Epstein at the didica-
tory service, and several clergymen of the village, namely, the Eev.
Messrs. Bonsai, Hammond and Masker, were also prest'ut. The Eev.
Mr. Epstein continued as rabbi for three yeare; the present rabbi is the
Rev. M. Silverman. Officers in 1902: President, II. Simon; Vice

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 339

President, C. Sandusky; Secretary, M. Lichenstcin; Treasurer, M. Wai'-
scliaur. Trustees, A. Cioldstciu, William Levi, L. Slack: The religious
scliool in connection with the cougregatiou meets regularly in the base-
ment of the church.

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHUECH AT THEILLS.

This society, situated in the hamlet of Theill's, had its origin nearly,
if not quite a century ago. The first meeting was held in the private
residence of John Theills by the circuit rider of that time, and the soci-
ety was part of the old Ilaverstraw circuit, having preaching once a
month. The circuit extended almost to Trenton, N. J., and was supplicil
by two preachers. Among the first were Bishop Ashbury, Henry Beam
and George Banghart. The charge was first known as ISTorth Haver-
straw, and has been identified vnth Gamerville and St. George, Haver-
straw and rJohnstontown at different times, biit in 1902 stands alone,
with a membership of 75, a parsonage well furnished, and with Dr. E.
F. Fowler as pastor, who succeeded the Rev. R. B. Lockwood. In 1835,
during the pastorate of the Rev. Isaac N. Felch, the church edifice was
built and the Sabbath school organized.

SOCIETIES.

lona Lodge, No. 128, Knights of Pythias, has been a social institu-
tion of the village of Haverstraw since December 7, 1874. It was
organized by fifteen members, with the follo^ving officers: C. C, Alonzo
Bedell; V. C, Lewis Levison; Prelate, M. Richnum; K. R. S., Henry
Ilahan; M. E., Lewis Eckstein; M. F., Edward Bedell; M. A., Cyrillus
Myers; I. G., Marcus Washburn; O. G., Edward Schmohl. The lodge
moved from temporary quarters on the first of April, 1875, to the top
floor of the DeBaun building, in Main street, thence to the McKenzic
building, in Third street, 1879, and to the Johnston building, next to
the National Bank, in 1897. Nimiber of members, 112; one of whom,
Alonzo Bedell, has been the Grand Chancellor of the Grand Domain of
New York, and later was one of the four Supreme Representatives from
this Grand Domain. Officers in 1902: C. C, George Lambert; V. C,
Valentine Stock; Prelate, Edward Stubbins; K. R. S., Charles II. Zuu-

340 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

del; M. E., Henry Fm-man; M. A., Frank S. Terry; I. G., Edward
tliis Grand Domain. Lodge ofRccrs in 1902: C. C., George Lambert;
V. C, Valentine Stock; Prelate, Edward Stubbins; K. R S., Charles IL
Zundel; M. E., Henry Furman; M. A., Frank S. Teny; L G., Edward
Bedell; O. G., N. B. Brooks.

Court Rockland, Foresters of America, was organized in Haverstraw
village in September, 1891, with Michael Lowery as Chief Ranger;
Michael McOabe, Financial Secretary; Andrew Donnelly, Treasurer.
The court^ has paid out up to the present year about $G,000. The lodge-
rooms are in the Opera House building; number of members, 71. 0th-
cers in 1902: Michael McCabe, Chief Ranger; Henry Toppln, Sub-
Chief Ranger; Robert F. Hackbart, Financial Secretary; John J. Fin-
uegan. Treasurer, William Tierney, Recording Secretary.

Court Garnerville, Foresters of America was organized at Garncr-
ville in 1895. The court has 150 members and owns its building. John
MclSTee is the Chief Ranger; John Cox, Recording Secretary; John Mur-
ray, Treasurer.

Stony Point Lodge, No. 313, F. & A. M., of Haverstraw Village.
Instituted June 17, A. L., 5853. Past Masters: Henry Christie, 1853;
John Hunting, 1854; Joseph Brower, 1854; Edward Pye, 1856; John
L Cole, 1857; William Call, 1858; George S. 01dfield,'l859-'61; Wil-
liam H. Wiles, 1802-4; Stephen G. ]STe\vman, 1865; L. V. E. Robinson,
1866-8; A. E. Suffcrn, D. D., G. M., 1870, '71, '78; Charles H. Briggs,
1869, '72, '73; O. W. Parsons, 1874, '75, '82; L. 0. Markham, P. A.
G. L., 1879, '80, '81, '83; John D. N"orris, 1884, '85; Irving Brown,
1886-7; H. B. Hargraves; R. W. Oldfield, P. A. G. L., 1889-'90; Wil-
liam T. Purdy, 1891-2; Charles K. Baum, 1893-4; C. I. Springsteen,
1895-6; H. W. Babcock, 1897-8; N. B. Bayley, 1899-1900; Alonzo
Wheeler, 1876, '77, 1901. Officers for 1902: C. H. Zundel, Master;
Rev. W. A. Masker, S. W.; James C. Dick, J. W.; O. E. Reynolds,
Treasurer; C. H. Newman, Secretary; L. 0. Markham, S. D.; G. O.
Bedford, J. D.; Alonzo Wheeler, Chaplain; R. W. Oldfield, Marshal;
Frank S. Allison, S. M. of C; R. J. Taylor, J. M. of C; Henry Furman
and Adolph Goldstein, Stewards; J. B. Weygant, Tyler; C. L. Spring-
steen, N. B. Bayley, Alonzo Wlieeler. The lodge rooms are in the Fow-
ler building, corner of Main and Fourth streets.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 341

THE HAVEKSTEAW CLUB.

This club was organized in 1893, as the Haverstraw Bicycle Club,
with five members enrolled. In 1895 the name was changed to the
Ilavorstraw Club. It has now (1902) a mcmbcrshii) of 152. 121 resi-
dent, 31 non-resident, and one honorary member, and is officered as
follows: O. E. Reynolds, President; J. S. Penny, Vice-Pi-esident; H. M.
Pnrdy, Secretary, and I). F. Lake, Financial Secretary and Treasurer.
D. Fowler, Jr., G. A. Pray, F. D. Taylor, Eobert Blair and W. H. Park-
ton, Directors.

A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.

CASUALTIES.

1831, .Iiine 7. — Explosion of the General Jackson a)t Grassy Point. Fourteen
persons knlled, including- John Glass, foaindier of the Print Works.

1837, May 26.— Deatih of Major Shubea.! P. Peck and Henry Beecher. In
oonuinany -with John ,T. Peck and Amos Brigg's, they -were sailiiig' in a small
gteam pleasure bolait-, whSch' had been, constructed under the supeirvtisaon of
Major Peck for the double purpose of navigating the creek and t-o make a
praiOticaJ aipplication of the science of engineering, a study to which he was
much devoted. They had proceetled down the sitreani neariy a mile, when the
l>oiiler exploded. Mr. Beeoher and Majdr Peck wen'e Mlled and the boat was
sunk. S. P. Peck was only twenty-two and had beem connected in business
with his flather under the firm name of E. Peck & Son. Mr. Beecher was the
manager of the chemical works antl a U'eutenlanit in the Warren Grays.

1838, March. — Oalico Works partly burned. Murder committed in the upper
part of Hlaverstrlaivv; Elisha Babcock Idlled with a Stone.

1846, January 21. — The Acad'emy burned do^vn. October 9. — The scaffolding
of the new Pres'byterian Ohiia-ch fell; several workmen badly hurt. October
13. — Hurricane; the walls of the new Presbyt/enian Clmrch fell; brickyards
iliibuiaged greatly.

1849, Jidy and August. — A niunber of delaths from Oholera.

1850, iray 28. — J. JDartling's house destroyed by fire. This was the first
house erected in Havea-straw rillage, and stood alt the oorner of Miaan and

Front, the sdt.e now occupied by the U. S. Hotel. .Tune 22. — The stetiinboait
Warren burned to^lay near New York. August 18. — ^The father of Amos
Briggs instantly killed by being thrown from a wagon. April 6 — Levi
DeNoyelles killed on the Hudson River radlroiad.

1853, .July 9. — Building at the chemical works blown down; several
lives losit.

MEMOR.\BLE EVENTS.

1810. — First sch'oolhouse built.

1815. — Post Office estuiblisihe*!.

1831. — Methodiist Protestant Church (now German Lutheran) erected.

342 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

1835. — Six bears killed in tJh'e HaTerRtnaw Motm'taiiiB. A v-ery hard •wimter;
sh'Ow four feet deep on the level.

1835. — A nejw steiambdait. built, called *be Wiarren; cost $30,000.

1837, Jianuary. — An. excepd:iionally brilllianit displaj' of flortlh'eni lights.

Ks;i7. — Felter's comer (norithwest corner of Main and Fa^ont) sold to Isaac
B. Van Honten, for $0,000.

1837. — Wire factory amd calico works stopped. Great pressure for money;
hieaftny fadlures in New York, Boston and New Orleans. Specie very scarce;
comimandis 20 per cent. Hard tim«s.

1837. — Villag-e of Warren laid out.

1837, May 4. — A new steiamboait, called the Arro^v, started at Nyack.

1838, March. — More pigeons flying- this winter thla.n in many yelaps past.

1838, Miarch. — The steamboat Orange came on in opposition tio the Warren.
1838. — Bockland county election: Haverstraw, Van Buren, maj., 45;

Olarkstown, Vom Buren, maj., 355; Ilamapo, Van Buren, maj., 89; Orangetown,
Van Buren maj., 162. Wiilliam H. Seward eleeted Governor; Whigs celebrate
tSie victory at Smditih's Hotel.

1839. — The stelamboat OPange i.9old for $4,150, the stock-'holders losing ail.

1839, July 4. — Celebration in Haverstraw; ortataon by H. G. Prall dn M. E.
Ohurch, military pariade and boat races.

1839, July 12. — President Van Buren landed at Grassy Point; welcomed
by populace. An aocddent happened; the gang plank broke, throwing three
|5ersons into the water; no one was drowned, but an elderl.y man lost his wig.
(Mr. H. B. McKenzie, who at this date (1902) still resides in Haverstraw, was
jjresent on this occasion.)

1839, July 12. — A Water spwit seen on the Taippan Zee.

1839. — The Pulaski Cadeits from New York enca.mped nine days on the pla-
teau on northern edge of the village, and were visited by a military company
from 'ilappan. A sword that w-as [jresented to Captain William McArdle, the
commander of the cadets, by the citizens of HaversitTaw, is now owned by Dis-
trict Attorney Thomas H. Dee. Captain McArdle afterwlard marnied tlhe
daxighter of Judge Allison.

1840, March. — Presbyt-erian Church organized a.t Haverstraw, Rev. .Taracts
llildreth pastor.

1840, December 16. — New M. E. Church deddoated; seinmon by Rev. Oliorles
Pit/man. Great revival; one hundred converted.

1S41. — Brie ranilroiad under construction.

1841. — Post Office removed from William B. Westervelt's to DeNoyelles &
Gurnee'is store, Lawrence DeNoyelles having been appointied Postmaster.

1842, January. — Ja-mes Miller appointed keeper of the Stony Point lig^t-
bouise, vice Benjamin Coe.

1843.— A choir established in the gallery of the M. E, Churoh.

1844, January 4. — Revivial in the Presbyterian Chiir&h near GarnerAdlle.

I844!— Death of Mrs. Waildrton, aged 104.

1844. — Singing ai&socilation formed.

1844, September.— Horace Greely addressed a Whig meeting at Benson's

1844, November.— Argument between Dr. .Tones and Dr. Piiitlue on med-
icine. ,,,.„, 1.
1844, November. — The village full of people looking for houses on account

oif the cni-pet faetory Coming.

1844, Decemlwr 12. — Peter DeNoyelles, an old resident, died.

1845, January 20. — The carpet faJctory in partial operation. Nenv brick-
yards starting near the \'illage.

TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW. 343

1845, Februiairy 24.— GreaA oomin'ofeioii in the village; three cMldren at
one birltlh.

1845. — Rev. J. N. Grame, a niota.ble pastor 'Of thie M. E. Ohurch, appointed.

1845. — Tbe plsice filled watili strang'ers. More rum sold in Haverstraw tlnan
ever before.

1845, May 27. — A lec'tiire in tih© Academy on amimal magnetdsm, by Prof.
Loomis; great wonder aimong 'the people.

1845, May. — The Tempeiramoe Glee Club of Paterson g^ve a conc«Tt in H'av-
ergtPaftv; "a nevr thing." The George Smiibh place sold for a large price,
$2,630.

1845, August 15. — A mew miliifcary oompany forming an the village.

1845, October 1. — Genenal tnaiindng; officeirB and men all green. Singing
school organiized by H. B. JIcKenzie.

1846, Febi-uary 2. — Thirteen hundjred dollars voted for a new schoolhiouse,
the Academy having been destroyed by fire.

1846, February 8. — The new Presbyt/eriaai preacher preacihed in the small
dhurch.

1846, May 3. — Great excitememt a:boiut the new sctitoolhouise; petition
againlst appropriating lais mrucli as $1,3U0. "Peace has left out bwders." The
church (Presbyterilan) in a f eiTnent on a'coount of two preachers, one opposed
to the other.

1846, May 24. — Excitement throughout the counltry on the license queistion.

1846, March 24. — At a missionary meeting in the M. E. Church, $110 raised,
which was the larg'est sum ever given by the oongrega;tdon tio that date.

1846, April 22. — Another Presbyterian Church organized.

1846, May 16. — A new paper started, called the Rockland County Messenger.
The toiwn voted n'o-license by 222 majority.

1846, June 4. — The Baptists orgianized a chiirch.

1846,August 12. — The new sohoodhouse going up.

1846, August 21. — Oorner-stione of the Cemtral Presbyterian Churcih laid.

1846, September. — A greBit amount of trouble aboiut the district school-
house; qxmte an excitement whether Mr. Laomis, *he sch'ool tjeacher, shall be
sustained or not.

1846, October 9.-^Distract school meeting; the teaoher euisltainied Iby a vote
of 32 to 15.

1846. October 13.— "Haverstraw getting to be a very wicked place as our
population increases."

1846, October 23.— Mr. Anison Nash, an old residenit, died this morning.

1846, Noveniiber 3. — Carpet wieavers on strike. Twenty-one ind.ictments for
sielling liquor without a license in our county.

1846, December 3. — The A. M. E. Zion Church dedicated.

1847.— The Baptisit Church (mow St. Luke's Episcopal) dedicated.

1848. — ^The Temperance House opened.

1848. — Warren ftoumdry opened by Myron Ward and R. A. Vervalen, on the
river front.

1849, Jannary 16.— Dea)th of Hugh Irving, the suiperintemdent of the carpet
factory.

1849, Febru-ao-y 5.— The First Presbytewan Church dedicated. Concert gaven
by H. B. McKenzie.

1849, Miaxch 7.— The couMtry filled with foreigners.

1S49, irarch 29.— The Protestant Mefthodi'sts have re-opened their c-hurcli
and have a stationed preadher.

1S49. April 25.— Rev. A. S. Freeman ordained.

1849._Death of Abraham Goeltsohius, Jothn Bulson, David Purdy, Mrs.
Alfred Marios.

1849, Noveimber 17.— Carpet factory partly stopped.

344 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

1850, January 1. — ^More brickyards g'oSng up.

1850, Feibnilary 3.— J. SJieTwood appount-ed Postmaster.

1S50, Miay 1. — Bight licenses to sell liquor gr'anted. Dr. Austin setfctles here.

1850, Aug-ust 3. — The carpet factory permanently closed, and the employes
mofing aiway.

1850, Sepbeonber. — E. and A. Meurks g'oing' into the brick business with John
J. Peck.

1850. — Died: Miss Caitherine AUision, Mass Sarah June, Mrs. John I. Cole,
Samuel G. Johnison, Samuel Demaresit, William Ease, Mrs. DanieJ Spring-steem.

1850, Sepbembeir 23. — Began to burn "spurt gias" in the Ftiores.

1851, May 15. — Erie railroad opened to Dunkirk.

1851, September 28.— St. Peft.er's OaithoMc Church dedicated.
1851. — Died: Miss Emnra Eiker, Sliss Annia Nye, B. F. Ga/rdner, Benjamin
Ooe, Aunt Derrdka DeNoyelles, Abram J. Snedekecr.
1852.— United States Hotel buHt.

1852. — Died: Mrs. Ezra Melad, Captain Jaoob Archer, Ezra Mead, Jr.
1853. — Mount Kiepose Cemetery dedicated.
1854. — ^Warren HMl opened.
1854. — First fire cocmpany organized.
1856.— Trinity P. E. ChuTch dedicated.

References: The dhronologdcal record was mainly compiled from an old
diary by Mr. Heman B. McKenzie. "Glimpses of Nearly One Hundred Yeaxs of
Methodisan in Haverstraiw," by Bev. James M. Faulks, A. M. (1891). "Hisifcor-
iaal Sketches of Rockland County Sabbath Schools," compiled by Hemnji B.
McKenzie (1S84). Files of the Rockland County Mes.S'enger. "Reopening at
Haverstranv," by Rev. .T. T. Crane (1861). County, Tmvn and Villaige Records.
Beoolleotionis by Mr. Heman B.. McKenzie. Freeman Papers and Historical
Dociunients loaned by Mr. W. A. Speck. Hist. Haverstiraw, by Rev. A. S. Free-
matn, D. D., and W. S. Pelletreiau, M. A., in Coile's Rockland County. "New
York ait Getltysburgh" — State Publication. "The Erection of Churches in
Haverstraiw," by E. B. Weiant. "The Manufacture of Brick, Tiles and Terra
Cotta," by Charles Thomias Davis. "The Chimes," a qaiarterly devoted to St.
Peter's Church. For many of the statistics of local brick-making the pub-
lishers are indebted to Mr. Josiah Felter. "Building Fund Souvenir" of the
King's Daughters Society.

For article on Haverstraw Schools the piiiblishers are indebted to Mr. L.
Wilson.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 345

CHAPTEK XVII.
TOWN OF OEANGETOWN.

By A. W. VaJiKeiuren.

Sturdy, indeed, and of good stock were the sixteen Hollanders who
first came to settle in that part of this commonwealth now known as
Orangetown, if one may judge by their descendants, some of whom still
live in the town, and, hy diligence, honesty, frugality and perseverance,
still hold portions of the land which their ancestors purchased from the
Indians on March 24, 1G86. Indeed, the Orangetown of to-day would
lose at least a part of its charm were it deprived of the Smiths, Coopers,
and Harings who now live here and prosper on the domain which was
included in the purchase of 1686. The ancestral stock was prolific and
descendants of the sixteen original settlers, as generation after genera-
tion has come, have spread to different quarters of the globe, but the
fruits of the hardy Holland seed, sowed in this township when its his-
tory was the early history of the county, are still seen and identified with
numerous important interests here.

The tract purchased by these first settlers was about eight miles in
length and ranged from two to five miles in width. It extended south
to a point which is now considerably below the northern boundary line
of the State of New Jersey, and north by what in early days was known
as the Greenbush swamp. The pretty range of mountains which extends
from West Nyack to Sparkill — using the names by which those places
are now known — formed the eastern boundary of the land purchased,
while the Hackensack Creek bordered the property on the west side.
This land, waiting to be tilled and made productive, was much cheaper
then than it is now, for the purchase was confirmed by an instrument
written under the hand of Governor Thomas Dongan of the Province
of New York, in the reign of James II., the conditions being that the
purchasers should agree to pay sixteen bushels of wheat every year to
the King's representative in New York. The granters were: Cornelius
Claas Cooper, Daniel DeClark, Peter Haring, Catye Haring, Gerritt
Stemmitts, John Bevries, Sr., John Devries, Jr., Clause Maunde, John

346 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Stratemaker, Staats DeGroat, Arian Lammerte, Lammert Ariansen,
Iliiyborts Gemtts, Johannes Gerritts, Eide Van Vorst and Cornelius
Laninierts.

The above purchase of land was made from the Tappan Indians, and
the gxant was known both as the Tappan Patent and Orangetown Pat-
ent. In this patent was given the name of the town of Orange. At that
time the division line between the colonies of New York and ISTew Jersey
had not been agreed upon, and there had, it seems, been some dispute
over it. When the division line was finally fonned satisfactorily, a part
of the gTant was taken by Eiergen county, New Jersey, and the area of
Orangeto^vn was cut down to 16.023 acres.

The village of Tappan was duly organized by the Holland farmers
of 16SC, and was the fii-st organized settlement within about forty miles
north of the New Jersey line. They called the place Tappantown, and
Tintil recently the ])ost office was knowa: by that name. Now, however,
with two railroads running throiigh that historic region, Tai^pantown
seemed too old fashioned for the population of these recent years, and
the "town" was dropped from the name.

Where the present village of Piermont is situated was known as
Ta]ipan Landing. The creek which now bears the name of the Sparkill
was then the Tappan Slote.

What is now known as Rockland county was in the seventeenth cen-
tury Orange county, and in 1693, when the first census was taken,
Orange county had only 21 families and 219 inhibitants, all of whom
lived in Orangetown. By the enumerations in years after that and up to
1702, the population had increased in the latter year to 40 families —
nearly doubling — while the entire population at that time was 268 —
an increase of 49 in nine years. At that time slaves were owned by a
number of the families, and for a great deal longer than a century after-
ward, passing down from generation to generation, the same as the prop-
ei-t,y owned by the inhabitants. These slaves, there is ever^' reason to
believe, were well treated, and in some instances fared nearly as well as
members of the families by whom they were kept, One of the largest
and best farms settled in Orangetown in those early days is still owned
and occupied by direct descendants of one of the early settlers, and has
never gone out of the possession of some branch of the family. This
property is known as the Gilbert: J). Pjlnuvelt farm, situated at Orange-

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 347

burg, and it is now occupied by Mr. Edwin Lydecker, who is the pres-
ent Supervisor of the town of Orangeto\\Ti. Mr. Lydecker's ^vife is the
daughter of the late Gilbert D. Blauvelt. The latter was the son of
David IX Blauvelt, who was the son of David Blauvelt. David Blau-
velt was the son-in-law of Isaac Pcny, and Isaac Perry was the son of
John Perry, who early in 1755 was the owner of a goodly number of
slaves. Supervisor Lydecker has in his possession a bill of sale for a
negro purchased by John Perry when the latter owned the fann, and
this document has been sacredly prcsci'ved through the different genera-
tions down to the present time. John Perry paid the sum of thirty-one
pounds current money of New York "to Lawrence Jance Van Birkerpk,
of the county of Bergen, I^ew Jersey, for one negro boy called Isaiah,
to be sound, without any ailments." This bill of sale is dated April 7th,
1755, and in signing it the seller of the negro said: "I have hereunto
set my hand and seal this seventh day of April, in the twenty-eighth
year of the reign of our Sovereign and Lord, King George the Second
of Great Britain."

A careful search through the census returns of Orangetown in its
early history shows that its returns were for the entire county, and it is
impossible at any time before the year 1738 to ascertain with any cer-
tainty the number of inhabitants according to the limits of the towns.
In 1738 Eager's History of Orange Coimty gives the population of each
town, but no accurate census figures are found again until 1790. After
this date, however, the census returns are returned regularly every ten
years without interruption. In 1790 Orangetown's population was
1,175; in 1800, 1,337; in 1810, 1,583; in is'so, 2,257; in 1825, State
census, 1,586; in 1835, 2,079; in 1845, 3,227; in 1855, 5,838; in 1805,
fi,ir.O; in 1870, IT. S. census, 6,810; in 1880, 8,206; in 1890, 10,-343;
in 1900, 10,456.

The customs of the early Dutch settlers of Orangetown were so dif-
ferent from those followed at the present time, that when told they seem
to the generation of the twentieth century like the tales of some iniknown
land far beyond the sea. Tell the youth of 1902, who is inspired by the
lightning methods of to-day and lives in hopes of greater discoveries in
every year of his life, that in the early days of this township in which
he. lives no fire was made in the church in which his far back ancestors,
or the ancastors of some of his friends, worshipped in Winter, and he

348 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

will shiver at the very thought ; but such is the fact. The older women
kept their feet wann by means of foot stoves, but even then they must
have shivered until their teeth chattered. There were no special prin-
ciples of temperance in tliose days, and the men, when not clothed suffi-
ciently to keep the cold air from penetrating to their bodies, stopped in
a nearby tavern before church ser\'ice and fortified themselves with a
goodly quaff of hot gin, so they might listen to the sennon \vith some
comfort. Whether they really accomplished this mil never be known,
but, in modem times at least, a glass of hot gin would not be sufficient
to keep the average man at a church service with the mercury away
below the freezing point. In Summer time it was doubtless more of a
pleasure to attend church services, for the men and women came then
early, gathered in small gTOups, or in a large crowd, on the lawn in front
of the house of worship, and talked over their affairs with one another,
and this promoted a social spirit which made life a little more worth liv-
ing than if they had no relief from their daily hum-drum.

Perhaps no change has been more marked since the days of the early
settlers of Orangetown than that in the architecture of the houses, and
yet in these first days of the twentieth century there appears to l)c a
desire on the part of many to go back to the times of their ancestors for
designs for at least a portion of a house they wish to bviild and occupy.
In doing so, however, modern architecture, while accepting some of the
ideas of the old Dutch builders, do not accept with them the discom-
forts of the houses of the olden time, but instead, they introduced fea-
tures of beauty and comfort of which the settlers of Orangetown never
dreamed. The first houses erected were log cabins, with very large fire
places. These were for cooking their food and warming the rooms.
Years later houses of stone were built, and we still occasionally sec a few
of these edifices in traveling through the town. The succeeding genera-
tion improved upon these stone houses by building larger ones, with more
rooms and large halls. These, too, were gradually changed, and eacli
succeeding generation studied comfort and convenience more than the
one which preceded it. The old stone houses, and then the log houses,
gradually were abandoned by those who sought newer and better things,
and then frame buildings of various designs sprang up here and

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 349

there. Now one, in looking over the lands where the early settlers of
Orangetown reared their families in humble structures, ^vith possibly
all the comforts which then were suggested, sees some of the most beau-
tiful styles of architecture that modem taste can design and modem
skill can construct.

Here and there, but growing scarcer every decade, one still finds
evidences of the industry of the early settlers in the rare old spinning
wheels that are kept almost sacred by the fortunate possessors. Ten
years ago a Nyack physician, who has since removed to the city, took
pride in searching out and buying up old spinning wheels and other arti-
cles of the olden times, and secured an interesting collection of them.
These things represent^^d a vast amoimt of toil, for there were no cotton
or cotton mills in those times, and the spinning of wool and flax for cloth-
ing was a necessity, while the weaving was done in the family.

The first record fo\ind of a tovm election in Orangetown is that of
the first Tuesday in April, 1744, and the first town officers were: Henry
Ludlow, Town Clerk and Supervisor; John Cornelius Haring and John
Ackerson, Overseers of the Fences; Dolph Lent, Constable; John Fer-
don, John ISfagle, John Peny, Commissioners of the Highway; Overseers
of the High Road: Robert Holley, for the Greenbush road; J. Bartus
Blaufelt, for the wagon road; Daniel Vervelia, for Closter; Thomas Van
Houtten, for Skeairday; Daniel Blaiifilt, for John Cloxis Sand; Johan-
nis Bogart, for the mill road; Johannis Meyer, Pound Master; Rcmier

Wortendyke, Dirck, and Fred Bogard, Assessors; John , Peter Dan,

to rec'd the quit rent; Daniel S. Xineman and Cornelius Tallman, Over-
seers of the Poor; Abraham Smith, Collector.

Following is a list of Supervisors of Orangetown from 1722 to 1902:
Rinear Kisanke, 1722; Cornelius Haring, 1723-'28; Comelius Smith,
1729-'31; Barent Nagle, 1732-'33; Gabriel Ludlow, Jr., 1734-'39;
Henry Ludlow, l740-'46; John Ferdon, 1747; Adolph Lent, 1748-'57;
David Blauvelt, 1758-'59; Daniel Haring, 1760-'63; Abraham Haring,
1764; Johannes Blauvelt, 1765; Thomas Ontwater, l766-'74; John M.
Hogencamp, 1779, 1780, '83, 1796; Jonathan Lawrence, 1782; James
Perry, 1797, 1800, '04; James Demarest, 1801; Samuel G. VerBryck,
1802, '03, '06, '19, '28, '29; James Perry, 1804-5; John Perry, 1820;
Richard Ellsworth, 1823; William Sickles, 1824-'27; Isaac J. Blauvelt,

350 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

lS30-'34; Eenjamiu Blacklcdge, 1835-'3S; John Haring, Jr., 1839-'41;
John J. Ilaring, 1842; John T. Blaiivelt, 1843-'45; John S. VcrBryck,
184G-'47; Simon U. Demarest, 1848-'49; William G. Smith, 1850-'51;
John C. Blauvelt, 1852-54; J. J. Lawrence, 1855; M. M. Dickman,
185G-'57; Jajnes S. Haring, 1858, '63, 'G5, '71; William Dickey,
1863-'64; Isaac M. Dedcrer, 1872-'73; D. D. Demarest, 1874-75;
Henry A. Blauvelt, 1876-'79; Hagaman Onderdonk, 1882; George
Dickey, 1880, '81, '83, '84, '85; Henry E. Smith, 1886; A. X. Fallon,
1887, '08, '09, 1890, '91; C. V. A. Blauvelt, 1892-3; A. X. Fallon,
1894, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99; James VanWeelden, 1900-1; Edwin
Lydecker, 1902.

VILLAGES OF ORAITGETOWN.

If the history of the villages of Orangetown is to begin with that
which was first started, it is necessary to first write of Tappan, biit the
history of this pleasant little village, aside from its important identifica-
tion with the days of the American Eevolution, will not be as long in
print as the niimbcr of years of existence would suggest it might be.
Tapi^au is the oldest village in Eockland county, and yet, in latter years,
it has not made history as rapidly as other villages in the town. The
early days of Tappan gave the place the fame which still clings to it.
The larger villages of Nyack and Piermont have made their reputation
through the channels of business since the days of the Revolution, but
not so Tappan. While the hand of improvement has been at work in
that village and vicinity, building up waste places and erecting on the
slopes and hillsides a goodly number of beautiful homes, in some of
which live worthy and refined families, and evidence of culture in music
and art abound, yet the name of the place is seldom mentioned without
tiu-ning the memory far backward, not only to the days when Washing-
ton's Army was encamped there and the closing scenes of the Andre
episode were enacted, but back still farther, to the days of the old"Mabie
Inn," known since the Revolution as the '7G House. This house was
the first tavern in this county, and in 1753 C'asparus Mabic purchased
it from Cornelius ileyers, and kept it for many years. It was a favorite
road house, even after other taverns sprang up, and from indications in
this year of 1902, it promises to continue its popularity longer than the

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 351

present generation will live, for it lias never been in better condition
than now. Mabie sold the '7G House to Frederick Blauvelt, and in
ISOO the latter disposed of it to Philip Duboy, who conducted it as a
tavern for at least eighteen or twenty years. The record is not quite
complete as to this. After Dubey died, the proprietors of the tavern who
followed him were Thomas Wandle, Lawrence T. Snedin and Henry
Eyerson. Dr. John T. Stephens purchased the property in 1857, and
owned it for forty years. During the time it was in Dr. Stephen's pos-
session the interior gradually went into decay, while a part of the exter-
ior had a tumble-do\vn appearance. For several of the latter years of
his life Dr. Stephens refused to allow any visitor into the old '70 House,
and scores came there who went away disappointed. Some who had
come hundreds of miles to visit the historic points in the East, when they
found themselves at Tappan, would hasten to the '76 House, expecting
to enter its doors and see the room where Andre had been kept, and
where, years before the Revolution, travelers had gathered to refresh
themselves with the beverages kept "on tap," but when they nsked
for pennission to thus gratify their desire, the doctor would pleasantly
but firndy refuse. The most notable incident of this kind occurred some
sLx or seven years ago, when a large party of Historic Pilgiims who had
started out to visit all the historic spots in the Eastern and Middle States,
came to Tappan. This party fii-st went to Washington View Park, where
General Washington's army was encamped for a long time. This park
is now the property of Mrs. M. E. Barber, who, witli her brotlier, IMajor
Harold, and her two sons, occupy the large mansion erected thereon a
few years before. Here the pilgrims were well entertained and given
all the information they desired. Their next objective point was the '7G
Stone House, and approaching Dr. Stephens hopefully and pleasantly,
they asked permission to enter the old house. Their sui-prise may be
imagined when their request was refused. All pleading was in vain, and
the pilgrims finally left, feeling the disappointment keenly. They then
went to the house known as "Washington's Headquarters," which was
built in 1700. John DeWint, a wealthy planter from the West Indies,
purchased the pro]>erty in the middle of the eighteenth century. His
children and grandcliildren occupied the house during tbe Revolution,
and General Washing-ton selected it as his headquarters at different
times when he stayed at Tappan. The last time he was in this house is

352 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

believed to have beeu in tlie winter of 1783, when a fierce snow storm set
in and detained him and several of his officers for a few days.

The '7C Stone House has had an eventful history in the last five
years. During a heavy gale of wind and rain a large part of the front
of the building fell in, exposing to view the interior on the easterly side.
As soon as tliis became known parties came for miles to get bricks from
the fallen structure, but the owner soon piit a stop to this. Afterward
Charles A. Pike, a well to do resident of Tappan, purchased the property
for $2,000. He at once restored the wrecked side of the old house and
employed skilled mechanics to make it stronger than it had been in a
century or more. The large room on the north, in which Major Andre
was imprisoned awaiting his doom, Mr. Pike had transformed into a ball
room for dancing parties. He at first sold only temperance drinks over
the bar where in olden times the old settlers had quenched their thirst
with something a great deal stronger, and many parties, large and small,
visited the place. Mr. Pike afterward procured a license to sell liquor
and now, under the management of Proprietor CoUignon, wdio leases
the place, the old '76 House is still conducted as a road house and has
many visitors.

On Andre Hill, where Cyinis W. Field had erected a monument
to mark the spot where Andre was executed, bearing an inscription
furnished by Dean Stanley, evidence still remains of the blowing up of
the monument by an ardent patriot who objected to the words of eulogy.
This property was sold for non-payment of taxes four years ago and was
purchased by George Dickey of Nyack, who now represents Rockland
Coimty in the Assembly at Albany. The taxes and fees were afterward
paid by the ovTier of the property and the wrecked monument and the
site upon which it stands were redeemed. The taxes due on the prop-
erty the last year were paid, so, imexpectedly to some who attended the
tax sale in December, 1901, it was not again put up for sale.

BLAUVELT.

Grccnbush was the pleasing name by which this village was known
until the construction of the Erie road now known as the Piennont
branch After that road was built the place was named after Judge
Cornelius J. Blauvelt, who was the most prominent citizen of the neigh

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 353

borhood. The first storekeeper there, so far as is known, was John Blau-
velt, who was succeeded by Judge Blauvelt ; the latter was succeeded by
Isaac Dedcrer, and he by Smith Demarest. The store passed from tlie
hands of the latter into those of John Eaab, who conducted it uutil
1882. Edebohls & Ledigcr built and opened a store in 1867. This firm
continued the business uutil 1871, when Mr. Edebohls died, and Mr.
Lediger became sole proprietor.

Cornelius J. Blauvelt was the first Postmaster of Blauvelt, or Blau-
veltville, as it was called for some years afterwa.rd. The post office was
established on October 14, 1828. On April 9, 1834, the office was dis-
continued, but on June 25th of the same year it was re-established, with
Cornelius J. Blauvelt in charge. In 1840 Michael Klein was appointed
Postmaster and in 1844 he was succeeded by Isaac M. Dedcrer. Teu
years later Simon D. Demarest was given the position. He was fol-
lowed by John Eaab, Henry Edebohls and George M. Lediger, and the
present Postmaster is Louis J. Lediger, son of George M. Lediger,
appointed in 1891.

The Order of St. Dominic of ISTcw York city in December, 1878,
purchased from Joseph Eustace thirty acres of land upon which to found
a juvenile asylum for the care and education of poor children, intended
at first for girls only. Several large buildings were erected thereon and
hundreds of children fill them at the present time. In 1880, when the
system of sewerage was extremely poor, a severe form of disease of the
eyes appeared. Dr. E. L. Oatman, who made his home in Nyack, was
employed as physician to the asylum. He attended the children and
treated their eyes, and under his direction many sanitary improvements
were made, so that the health of the inmates of the institution improved
greatly. The first boy was brought to the institution while Dr. Oatman
was physician there. The writer of this visited the asylum one Sunday
with Dr. Oatman, and he was taken do^vn into the large dining-room
while the children were at dinner. Seated at the tables were 350 girls
and one boy, who seemed to enjoy the situation.

The Order of St. Dominic extended its work further south, and a
few years ago purchased a large piece of property of the Captain John-
son estate, near Sparkill. Here they erected several buildings, of a not
veiy substantial character, and at midnight on August 22nd, 1899, the
main building caught fire and was burned to the gTound. The fire.

3S4 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

wliicli broke out in one comer of the building, spread rapidly, but all
but two of the children were saved by the Sisters, who worked heroically
and can-ied out many of the sleeping or panic-stricken children. In the
last year a larger and more substantial brick building has been erected,
and a large euchre party took i^lace in New York early this year, under
the auspices of the Order of St. Dominic, to help pay the expense. Over
$4,000 was realized from this party.

In 1809 the first school building was erected in Greenbush. In 1850
the building was torn down, and the schoolhouse used at present occupies
the same site.

PALISADES.

The pretty region of Palisades village, which has derived a goodly
share of admiration because of its scenic beauty, is just now assuming
additional importance because of the possibility of its becoming the
northern terminus or turning point of the grand Boulevard that is to be
constructed along the base of the Palisades, under the direction of the
Palisades Commission. Those who founded the little village, fonnerly
Iviiown as Sneden's, never dreamed of so important an attraction as a
magnificent drive, constiiicted at the expense of the. great States of New
York and New Jersey.

There are some handsome residences in and about Palisades, and
there is some historic interest attached to that region. There are still
traces of the old military road from the ferry through groves of the Pal-
isades to Fort Lee. Washington's spring is situated at the left of the
road leading to the boat landing. This spring afforded Avater for the
American forces who were stationed on a knoll to watch the movements
of the British fleet, when General Washington expected them on their
way to West Point from New York. There is still an old stone house
near the village where Washington and Lafayette are said to have dined
on one occasion or more during the Revolution. The original buildirif^
was erected by William Corbett in 1729 or 1730. It caiight fire some
years afterward and was burned down, but was rebuilt with the original
walls still standing.

The original patent for the land in which the village of Palisades is
included was granted by the British Government in the reign of King

WILLIAM II. SPRINGSTEEN.

TOWN OP ORANGETOWN. 3SS

James tlie Second, dated Febniary, 1685. The area of laud in this pat-
ent was 3,410 acres, extending from Piermont to Closter. At that time
the forest along the Palisades was known as the King's Woods.

The present village is tastefully laid out, having wide avenues, well
shaded by large trees. The village has a public park. The name of the
place at the river was formerly Sneden's Landing, so called after Law-
rence J. Sneden, who died many years ago. A man names Dobbs ran
a ferry from this point across the river more than 120 years ago, and
from this the village across the river, Dobbs Ferry, ultimately took
its name.

OEANGEBUEG.

Orangeburg is a small village half way between Sparkill and Blau-
velt, on the Piermont Branch of the Erie Eailroad, and it is also inter-
sected by the West Shore Eailroad, which has a station here. The plant
of the Eockland Electric Light and Power Company, of which S. E.
Bradley is the principal ovraer, is located at Orangeburg, and from this
point electric light is distributed over one-half of Eockland county and
through the upper part of Bergen county, N. J. The only other bus-
iness carried on here is farming — principally dairy farming.

OEANGEVILLE.

Orangeville is a short distance from Orangeburg, and is a small ham-
let, with a number of pleasant dwellings.

PEAEL EIVEE.

w^^ Pearl Eiver, which 18 or 20 years ago was a small hamlet, has since
that time grown into an active, bustling village, where considerable bus-
iness is done. The principal industiy is the Dexter Folder Works,
which employs several hundred men. Pearl Eiver is also the center of
a flower raising district from which thoiisands of the finest roses seen
in the New York market arc sent. In the building now occupied by the
Dexter Folder Company, J. E. Braunsdorf, when electric ligMs wei-e
first introduced, had associated with him Professor Maxim, the well-
known inventor, who gave the first exhibition of electric lighting in
Eockland county before a large and interested audience, of whom the
wi-iter of this article was one.

356 HISTORY OF ROCKL,AND COUNTY.

NYACK.

The name Nyack is of Indian derivation, and perhaps it is because
of that fact that the inhabitants of tliis beautiful vilhnge at the present
day have a fondness for the name which they can hardly express. Indian
names, in the smallest degree euphonious, possess a charm which more
modern titles have not, and the name Nyack mil probably designate
this region long after, in the distant future, it has become more thickly
populated and rejoices in the qualifications and title of a busy, bustling
city. That the name Nyack came from a tribe of Indians on Long
Island tliei"e is no doubt, for the present Gravesend Bay was called
Nyack Bay early in the seventeenth century, and it appears from the
only records that can be found relating to the subject, that the name
of Nyack disappeared entirely from that section and was brought to this
village on the Hudson. An old deed unded date of 1764 spells the name
Niack, and later a "y" was substituted for the "i," and the name since
has been Nyack.

Claes Jansen, in 1761, and Harmann Dows — now Tallman — and
Tunis Paulsen, previous to 1678, were the earliest patentees of this vil-
lage, according to the records which still exist. Nyack as a callage grew
very slowly in its earliest days — in fact, no boom was ever seen here
until after the opening of the Nyack and Northern Eailroad, in 1870.
In 1799 the property lying between the present First avenue on the
north and DePew avenue on the south was purchased by Abraham
Lydecker for $84. This property now constitutes in length six of the
most valuable blocks in the whole town of Orangetown, and on some
parts of that tract the sum of $4,000 to-day would not pay for a large
building lot on Broadway. The records show that at that time the
entire district from the Hook Mountain to where the Wayside Chapel
now stands was divided into ten farms. These were owned by Michael
Comelison, St., Abram Tallman, Tunis Harman Tallman, GaiTct Sar-
vent, John VanHouten, Benjamin Knapp, the late Hugh Maxwell —
now occupied by the Nyack Country Club — Henry Palmer, Jeremiah
Williamson,, Aurey Smith and his brother, John Smith. A gate stood
at the end of each fann north of Main street, and the last one was
removed from the comer of the present First avenue in 1810, while the
last, at the property now owmed by James P. McQuaide, remained until

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 3S7

35 or 40 years ago. It was in 1790 when what had previously been a
private road between Nyack and Piennont was recogTiized as a public
road, and while along this highway, now famous as the "river road," a
few of the original old houses, or parts of them, still stand, numerous
handsome residences have been built in later years, affording one of the
most beautiful drives along the Hudson river. It is here where the
strongest opposition to a trolley road is now found, because, the residents
say, "it mil spoil this beautiful drive."

Nyack had no direct communication with the inland country until,
in 1827, the Nyack turnpike was opened by an act of the Legislatui'e.
The steamboat Orange was built at about this same period, and the little
village, or more properly, hamlet, Ix-gan growing, although in 1830, its
population, taking in the whole territory now included in the three
Nyacks, was only 300 — the number of an average at a single church
sersdce in Nyack at the present time, when the weather is not stormy.

The first store in Nyack was opened in 1804, by Abram Tallman,
on the site of the present Sherman House, a short distance above the
Burd street steamboat landing. Tunis Smith, grandson of Lammert
Ariansen Smidt, opened the next store, on lower Main street, in 1810,
and others followed in after years. In 1833 D. D. Demarest opened a
store and lumber yard at the present steamboat dock, and in 1839 he
opened the store, now vacant, opposite the Eefonned Church. Mr. Dem-
arest, who since that time served several times as County Treasurer of
Rockland county^ died of apoplexy on April 18th of the present year,
in liis 89th year.

Nyack has probably had a more varied experience in the way of
incorporation than any other village along the Hudson river, if not in
New York State. In the year 1870 a public meeting of the citizens was
called to vote upon a proposition to incorporate into a village, the boun-
daries of which would extend from the Hook Mountain on the north
to the "Bight," covering a tract three miles in leng-th. This proposition
was defeated by a large majority. Shortly afterward the Village of
Upper Nyack was incorporated, extending from the beginning of the
C'larkstown road on the south to tlie TTook Mountain. This cut off about
one-half of the area incliuled in the first Nyack incorporation proposi-
tion which was defeated. In 1872 Nyack was incorporated without this
upper hnlf, with the following citizens as its first officers: President,

358 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Daniel D. Demarest; Trustees, Isaac Vervalen, David S. Crane and
Charles E. Hunter; Treasurer, William B. Collins; Clerk, William T.
B. Storms; Collector, Isaac W. Canfield. The Messrs. Vervalen, Crane,
Collins, Canfield and Storms are now dead.

Trouble some time afterward arose because of differences among
the taxpayers, arising from the fact that the largest expenditure of
money from taxes was in the upper part of the village and in the business
section, while the people in the lower section — now South Nyack — com-
plained that their part of the corporation did not receive the attention
to wliich it was entitled, by virtue of the taxes paid in that portion of the
village. In 1875 some of the largest taxpayers, including Commodore
William Voorhis, Cornelius T. Smith, Azariah Ross, Tunis DePew and
others, started a movement to break iip the corporation. In response to
a mandamus from the Supreme Court, a meeting of citizens was called
to vote on the question whether the incoi-poration of the village should
continue, but as the vote was about to begin, the proceeding was stopped
by an injimction served on the Trustees. Finally, however, after two
years of litigation and trouble which engendered much hard feeling
and frccjuent hard words, a meeting was held in 1876, when the incor-
poration was voted down by a large majority — about four to one.

The people of South Nyack, on May 2oth, 1878, by a vote which
was almost unanimous, decided to incoi-porate by themselves the district
from Cedar Hill avenue on the north to the southerly boundary line
of C. T. Smith's property, and west by the old j^yack Patent line, tak-
ing in an area of nearly one square mile. At the first election, June 22,
1878, the following officers were chosen: President, GaiTet Van Noa-
trand; Trustees, John G. PeiTy, Richard J. Lyeth and Grenville D. Wil-
son; Treasurer, William C. Moore; Collector, Tunis D. Seaman; Clerk,
Charles H. Meeker. Of these gentlemen Messrs. Seaman and Meeker
are the only ones now living. The present officers of South Nyack are:
President, Howard VanBuren; Trustees, Valentine Mott, D. D. Sher-
man, John Rooney; Treasurer, C. A. Chapman; Collector, Howard R.
Bti'ownc; Clerk, Joseph T. Kelly; Police Justice, William V. McKinim.

The incorporation of South Nyack left Nyack alone, between the
upper and lower villages, an unincorporated section, and on February
27, 1883, this village was incorporated, its first officers under the new
incorporation being: President, William DeGi-oat; Trustees, John A.

JOHN D. BLAUVELT.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 3S9

Burke, Edwin B. Sippell and Geoi'ge F. Morse; Treasurer, Nicholas C.
Blauvelt; Collector, GaiTct W. Hart; Clerk, Edward C. Cole. The
Messrs. DeGroat and Blauvelt have since died, and Edward H. Cole has
continued as Village Clerk ever sinc« until April, 1902, an evidence of
his ofHciency and fitness for the position.

The present ofHoers of Nyack are: President, Abram Myers; Trus-
tees, John H. Post, Howard Garner, Martin Schupner, Cornelius Van
Tassell; Collector, Edward Phillips; Treasurer, John M. Gesuer; Clerk,
James Kilby.

The population of Nyack village by the census of 1900 was 4,275.

GEAND VIEW.

The village of Grand View was incorporated September 15, 1900.
The present officers are: President, Josepli B. Ellicott; Trustees, Henry
P. Stamford, J. E. Carpenter; Treasurer, John W. Ingram; Collector,
Peter McMillan; Clerk, Alfred K. Gavey.

INDUSTBIES OF NYACK.

The manufacture of shoes has since the early years of the nineteenth
centuiy been an important industry in Nyack. The fii-st man to embark
in the business was William H. Perry, who started a shoe manufactory
in 1S26. Daniel Buit was the first to follow in this business, and he
associated with him Edward and Xathaniel Buit, conducting the busi-
ness for a few years. Finally the brothers separated, each starting for
himself.

Austin & Buri", successors to Edward Burr, started in 1855, and a
few months later they took in another partner, James F. Dezendorf, the
firm then being Austin, Burr & Co. This company was finally dissolved
and George Cooke followed in the business in 1864. The firm of
Ketchcll, Caywood & Burr was formed in 1857, and after continuing
two years, John Burr withdrew and started for himself.

In 1867 Ketchell & CayTvood started in the shoe business and erected
the large brick building which still stands at the corner of Bailroad and
DePew avenues. Tliis firm was siu^ceeded by Ketcliell i*^' Purdy, who,
after doing a prnsjicrous business for a few years failed, and both
removed from town.

360 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

George T. and C. Morrow after that became the most extensive
slioe mannfactnrers in Nyack, beginning their business in ISTO. In
1879 they erected a large brick buikling at the corner of ('edar Hill
and Eailroad avenues and conducted a large business for several years,
when they failed. Their failure was deeply felt, for they employed a
large niunber of hands and paid good wages. The Morrow factory made
a finer grade of goods than some of the smaller establishments.

C. B. Kennedy began the manufacture of shoes in 1875 on Broad-
way, and in a few years he failed and removed from toAvn. He is at
present engaged in business at Peekskill.

Conrad Doersch began the manufacture of shoes in 1878. ITe car-
ried on business for several years in the building corner of Uailrond and
DePew avenues and then ei-ectcd the brick building on Kailroad avenue
south of Hudson avenue. In 1890 he went into bankruptcy, but his
affairs have since been settled, and he is still caiTying on the business of
maniifacturing shoes.

William E. Tuttle & Co. began the manufacture of shoes in a frame
building comer of Eailroad and Hudson avenues in 1876. A few years
later Mr. Tuttle put up a large Ijrick building at the corner of Jackson
avenue and North Mill street, wlierc he has since done a prosperous bus-
iness. In the year 1901 the Tuttle Shoe Company was formed and dur-
ing the present season the lai-ge Morrow factory has, through the efforts
of the ISTyack Board of Trade, been leased for five years, and has been
put in condition to carry on the manufacture of shoes more exten-
sively than it has been done in years. Morse & Rogers, the well known
shoe dealers of JSTew York, are interested in this company.

Charles Theis began the manufacture of shoes in the Ernst block,
comer of Main and Franklin streets, in 1879. He aftei-ward erected a
large brick building at the foot of Burd street, near the steamboat land-
ing, and after continuing business there for a few years, he failed and
went to Florida to live. Three years ago he and his family returned and
they now have a shoe store on Broadway, under the firm name of O. F.
Theis & Co.

Jacob Scott earned on the shoe manufacturing business for a few
years, starting on Main street, in 1879.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 361

The largest shoe factory Imilding that I^yack has ever had was that
which Andrew H. Jaeknian erected on Cedar Hill avenue, corner of
Railroad avenue. Mr. Jackman started in business here in 1876 and for
several years employed a large number of hands, both men and women.
During the latter years of his business here there were several extensive
strikes among his employes, and he finally resolved to leave town, which
he did, and then went to Poughkeepsie. His large factoiy building
has since that time been occupied by various industries. Three years
ago A. W. Sexsmith & Co., of ISTew York, manufacturers of cabinet
work, leased the two first floors of the building and did a good business
for several months, when they were obliged, through lack of capital, it
was said, to give up. Percy Moore occupied the upper part, of the build-
ing in the manufacture of shirt waists, but went to New York a couple
of yeare ago. Mr. Moore had cai-ried on his biisiness in other buildings
in Nyack for several years before, and the cause of his leaving was said
to be his inability to get a sufficient nmuber of girls here to do his work.

In 1900 the Peerless Finishing Company came to ISTyack in a very
quiet manner, to can-y on their business of dyeing and finishing silk
goods for millinery trimmings. They leased the old DePew brick build-
ing, familiarly known as the shoddy mill, and started in their business
with some forty or fifty hands, men and women. The same year they
found it necessary to erect a frame building, 150 feet long, on the prem-
ises. Early in 1901 they purchased of the Xyack National Bank the
lai-ge Jackman biiilding, on Cedar Hill avenue, and shortly afterward
they bought the brick building on Railroad avenue occupied for years
by E. L. Wright & Co., manufacturers of sleighs and caniages. The
Peerless Company have put both buildings in good condition for their
business and in addition they have erected another building on their
property. They have the most costly machineiy in Nyack, are doing an
extensive business and it is believed they will in the near future add
more property to their present pos-sessions. The company have plenty
of capital and pay their way.

Boat building was, in past years, an important industry in Nyack.
James E. Smith opened his shipyard, foot of Fourth avenue, in 1SG7,
and cf)nducted it for years, building many boats, a numl>er of them well-
known. Fjion IMr. Smith's death his business was continued by his son,
John P. Smith. The latter was compelled by circumstances to go into

362 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

bankruptcy a coiiple of years ago. He has since received his discharge,
mill last winter a company was formed, with a capital stated to be $]()(),-
OOO, to cany on the boat manufacturing business under the firm name of
the John P. Smith Company.

William Dickey canied on the boat building business in Nyack for
years. In 1863 he built two st«amboats for the Camden & Amboy Rail-
road Company, and in 1865-6 he built the steamer Chrystenah, now
owned by the North River Steamboat Company and still nmning on her
route between Peekskill, New York, Haverstraw, Nyack, TaiTytown and
Yonkers in the Spring, Summer and Aiitiunn. William Dickey's son,
the Hon. George Dickey, is now Rockland county's Assemblyman at
Albany.

The piano mauufactiu-ing business was once quite an industry in
Nyack, starting back in 1832, when John Tallman had the first factory.
Others who afterward engaged in the business were Thompson & Ross,
in 1850, and, later, Sumner Sturtevant. The factory building occupied
by the above manufacturers, comer of Broadway and Third avenue, is
now owned by Francis J. X. Tallman, avIio deals in pianos and manufac-
tures pipe organs. Mr. Tallman has, in the last five or six years, made
organs for churches in different parts of this State and in other States,
some of them far distant. ]\I. A. Clark, fonnerly in the employ of Mr.
Tallman, recently began the manufacture of organs in his own name, his
factory being situated on the top of the South Mountain. Mr. Clark i-e-
cently finished a large pipe organ — the largest in Rockland county — for
the new Nyack Refomicd Church, and it was placed in the church Inst
IMarch.

Among some of the early industries of Nyack were included Copies-
ton's and Puff's straw hat factories, both of which went out of existence
several years ago. Puff's was opened in 1880 and Copleston's in 1881.
In the '50's and for a number of years later Henry and Abram Stonns
successfully earned on the manufacture of woodenware and gave em-
ployment to a large UTimber of men. In 1850 William Cnimbie & Sons
started the Nyack Foundry, which, in 1863, was purchased by Thomas
Magee, who carried on the business for more than twenty years. Since
that time John Kane has for several years can-ied on a successful busi-
ness in the same line and is located on lower Eurd street, near the steam-
boat landing.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 363

Aaron L. Christie established the carriage and wagon making busi-
ness in Nyack in 1835 and conducted it successfully until he gave it up
in 1871, when he was succeeded by the present well-known firm of A. E.
& J. H. Christie, who still carry on the business in their large establish-
ment on Liberty street, from Church street to Jackson avenue. Aaron
Taylor and E. L. Wright also carried on the carriage and sleigh business
here for years, but the Messrs. Christie are now the only manufacturers
in Nyack in that line.

One of the most important industries of Nyack in recent years was
the boat building business of Charles L. Seabury & Company, at the foot
of Main street, which had a prosperous existence here for aboiit eight
years, and then became consolidated with another and larger industry in
the same line and removed to Morris Heights, N. Y. Seabury & Co.
came to Nyack in 1889 and erected the building at the extreme foot of
Main street, on the north side, extending to the water. Building steam
yachts and launches was the business of this firm, and their business rap-
idly increased and their quarters were extended. They purchased the old
Canfield place, west of their works, and erected a large building for their
macliine shop and oifice. They also occupied the large building at the
foot of the street on the south side, and their works was among the bus-
iest places along the Hudson river. Wliile here they turned out many
fine boats and earned a wide reputation. In the year 1897 the Gas En-
gine and Power Company, of New York city, with which Mr. Seabury
had been intimately associated for years, urgently requested the Seabury'
Company to consolidate with them in their yards at Morris Heights,
New York. Mr. Seabury, after considering the matter carefully and
concluding that it would be well for him to go where he could have
deeper water and build larger craft than his place here would accommo-
date, decided to go, and during the Fall of 1897 the company rcmovetl
all their machinery, stock, etc., to Morris Heights, where the consolidated
companies have since been engaged a large part of the time in making
torpedo boats and other craft for the U. S. Government. As the com-
jiany's pay roll in Nyack amounted to from $1,000 to $1,200 weekly,
the loss caused by the company's removal was felt in the village.

Two other industries, which have located here within the last year,
now occupy a part of the Seabury property. One of these is the Carbo

364 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Mangeii Company, which manufactures a material for tempering metals
in a superior manner, and tlie other is the Church Motor and Launch
Company.

C. W. Strong came to Nyack in 1896 and began the manufacture of
paper boxes. In 1900 he purcliased land and erected a large factory at
the comer of Washington and Burd streets, where he now cames on an
extensive business and employs a large number of girls.

Richard E. King, who hiis carried on the manufacture of shoes in
ISTyack for several years, purchased a building on Jackson avenue and
Wasliing-ton street in September, 1899, and built an extension upon it
which made it of sufficient size for his business, which is now very exten-
sive and one of Nyack's most important industries.

The ISTyack Knitting Company began the manufacture of knitted
goods in !N"yack in 1899, and now liavc a large and successful establish-
ment in the Ernst building.

The Doetsclmiann Manufacturing Company, perfumery makers, es-
tablished their business on Railroad avenue in 1900.

THE NYACK BOARD OF TRADE.

The Nyack Board of Trade, an organization formed for the puqjose
of aiding the financial interests of the town, was organized at a meeting
held at the office of Judge A. S. Tompkins, on the evening of June a 3,
189C. Judge Tompkins was chosen Chairman, and Tunis S. Dutcher
was Secretary. The necessary preliminary business was transacted, and
temporary officers were elected to serve until the annual election in Oc-
tober. Two or three meetings were held during the Summer and several
propositions were received from out-of-town firms which desired to locate
in Nyack, but none of them were accepted. The first regular officers
were elected on the evening of Oct. 13, 1890, as follows:

President — J. W. Callahan.

Vice-President — J. C. Gregory.

Treasurer — William J. Randolph.

Secretary — Tunis S. Dutcher.

Directors — R. H. M. Dickinson, A. M. Voorhis, J. W. Dalley, C. E.
Smith, John D. Blauvelt, T. F. Odell, E. Op]x>nheimer, M. W DePaun,
A. S. Tompkms, M. Sayres, Charles A. ]\Iorrcll.

The object of the Board of Trade, as stated in its by-laws, is to "ad-
vance the interests of Nyack, to build u]i its trade, increase its attractions

WILLIAll J. KANDULPH.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 365

and the value of its property, promote the establishment of manufactories
within its bountlaries, or its vicinity, and to induce strangei-s to make it
their homes." The organization, at the expense of hundreds of dollai*s,
has worked hard to cany out the object as stated, and has succeeded in a
large degree. In a very few instances industries which were brought to
Nyack by the Board of Trade have not remained, because of circum-
stances which the Board could not control; but through the work of the
organization many thousands of dollars have been brought to the town
and circulated through the channels of business.

One of the principal industries established here the first of January,
1897, was the Nuttall Manufacturing Company, makers of bicycles. A
large biisiness was carried on by this finn until the Fall of 1900, when
the manufactory was absorbed by the Bicycle Trust, and the establish-
ment here closed. During the early part of the present year, 1902, the
Morrow factory building, fonnerly occupied by the Nuttall Company,
was lea.sed, through the Board of Trade, to tlie Tuttle Shoe Com-
pany, for a large extension of the shoe manufacturing business of that
company, the Board raising the sum of $2,70G toward fitting up the
building.

The Board of Trade was instrumental in bringing the A. W. Sex-
smith cabinet making firm to Nyack, but that company did not remain.
The Nyack Knitting Company, w^hich now does a handsome business,
was also brought here by the Board of Trade, and several local manufac-
turers have also been assisted by the organization which still continiies
its good work.

The present officers and Directors of the Board of Trade ai-e:

President — John D. Blauvelt.

Vice-President — Charles A. Morrell.

Treasiirer — Isaac Neisner.

Secretary- — ^Alfred Themans.

Directors— M. W. DeBaun, J. D. Blauvelt, T. F. Odell, George B.
Helmle, A. S. Tompkins, W. II. White, C. A. Morrell, A. M. Vooriiis,
J. W. Dalley, Victor Ackerman.

THE NYACK POST-OFFICE.

With the present up-to-date system of handling and delivering the
mail of the Nyack Post-office, it seems hard to realize that Nyack's first

366 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

mail, iu more primitive days, was kept in a cigar box, and persons inquir-
ing after lettci's were handed tlic box and pennitted to do their own sort-
ing, but such was the case. John Van Houten was the firet Postmaster,
and in 1835 he opened the first Post-office in his store at the binding at
Upper !Ryack. As the mails were brought to and taken from this place
by steamboats, there were not many "rush hours" during each day iu this
branch of Uncle Sam's mail service. Samuel Canfield, who kept the Dry
Dock Hotel, corner of Main and Canfield (now Gedney) streets, was ap-
pointed in 1836, and established the office at his place of business above
named. Charles Humphrey was the next Postmaster, in 1844, and he
was succeeded by William B. Collins from 1849 to 1853. Daniel D.
Demarest was Postmaster from 1853 to 1861, and his office was at the
comer of Broadway and Burd street, in the store owned by him.

President Lincoln, in 1861, appointed Aaron L. Christie Post-
master, and, the Kepublican administration contiiraing, Mr. Christie
lield the position until his death, in July, 1880. His daughter, Sarah L.
Christie, being familiar with the Post-office work, was then appointed
and kept the position until Orlando Humphrey was appointed by Presi-
dent Cleveland, in July, 1885. After President Han-ison was elected.
Miss Christie was again appointed. When Cleveland was elected the
second time, he appointed Philip Doersch Postmaster.

George B. Helmle, the present Postmaster, was appointed by Presi-
dent McKinley on January 13, 1899, and he began work at once to es-
tablish free delivery, which had been talked of for several months. The
villag'e was found to have the necessary qualifications for free delivei-y,
and the service began on May 1st, 1899. Postmaster Helmle had the
office thoroughly refitted, at considerable expense, with the very latest
fixtures and appliances, and the free delivery service proved very sucess-
ful and satisfactory. The Upper Nyack Post-office was abolished and
free delivery was extended to the Hook. On July 14, 1901, free deliv-
ery was extended to Grand View, and the Post-office there, which had
been under the charge of the late William H. Piatt, Postmaster, for over
twenty years, was abolished. There are now six carriers. The receipts
of the ISTyack Post-office at this time average more than $15,000 per
year. It is the only Post-office in the county that is entitled to and has
free delivery, and on July 1st free delivery was extended to Central
E^yack.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 367

NYACK EXTENSIVELY OEGANIZED.

Nyack has a large number of societies, secret, and otherwise. Almost,
if uot quite, everyoue in the town belong-s to some oryanizatiou. The
oldest of these is Oneko Lodge, No. 122, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, which was organized March 28, 1848. In 1867 Rockland Encamp-
ment, a higher branch of the order, was organized, and in ISGl) Euth
Lodge, Eebekah Degree, was instituted.

Eockland Lodge, No. 723, F. & A. M., was organized on July 16,
1872. Eockland Chapter, No. 204, E. A. M., was organized in
April, 1867.

Following is a complete list of secret societies in Nyack, with the
names of the head oiHcer and secretary of each :

Eockland Lodge, No. 723, F. & A. M.— J. DuPratt White, Master;
E. S. Bald\vin, Secretary.

Eockland Chapter, No. 204, E. A. M.— E. II. Cole, II. P.;, A. E.
Chi-istie, Secretary.

Oneko Lodge, No. 122, I. O. O. F.— John Dondero, N. G. ; Ira Sea-
man, Secretary.

Eockland Encampment, No. 37, I. O. O. F. — E. S. Hemingway, C.
P.; A. G. Garrison, Scribe.

Euth Eebekah Lodge, No. 4, I. O. 0. F.— Mrs. E. Noll, N. G.;
Mrs. J. S. Halstead, Secretaiy.

Grant Lodge, No. 385., K. of P.— G. J. Lawrence, C. C; II. W.
Kirk]5atrick, K. of E. and S.

Waldron Post, No. 82, G. A. E. — Henry E. Smith, Commander;
J. A. Burke, Adjutant.

Woman's Eelief Coi-ps — Mrs. Martha J. Scott, President; Mrs. Mary
Sutton, Secretary.

Nyack Tribe, No. 209, I. O. E. M.— C. Boldt, Jr., Sachem; Henry
Kirkpatrick, C. of E.

Chaska Council, No. 40, D. of P. — Mi-s. M. Lapp, Pocahontas; Mrs.
M. J. MacArthur, C. of E.

Tappan Zee Council, No. 225, F. of A.— James Mitchell, C. R.;
W. V. Lott, Secretary.

Hudson Forest Circle, No. 428, C. of E.— Mrs. M. Blauvelt, C. C. ;
Mrs. I. Minford, Secretary.

368 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ISTyack Couucil, No. 248, A. L. of H. — James P. Cooke, Com-
mander; N. M. Kosch, Secretaiy.

Nyack Council, Royal Arcanum — J. P. Graham, Eegeut; L. O.
Gregory, Secretary.

Carpenters and Joiners' Union, Xo. 474 — George Milton, President;
Jerome Ilasbrouek, Secretary.

Nyack Lodg«, No. 308, D. O. II.— Oswald Luleicli, O. B.; Jacob
Hausennan, Secretary.

Germania Benevolent Society — A. Ginter, President; August
Wesel, Secretary.

NYACK'S MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS.

The spirit of organization which has been manifested in so many dif-
ferent fonns in Nyack has during the last forty years pervaded the
musical circles of the place. The first musical societies formed in Nyack
were organized during the early days of the Civil War. John V. Bun-
formed a club for the singing of patriotic music, including all the best
known musicians of the neighborhood. Within the first year of the
organization there was a division and a new society was formed, called
the Excelsior Glee Club, imder the leadership of Aaron R. Wheeler.
Both societies prospered and continued during the war.

No permanent musical organization was formed here after that time
until 1880, when the Nyack Choral Society was organized and had an
existence of eighteen years, winning fame as one of the leading miisical
societies along the Hudson river. The following officers were elected at
its formation: President, William C. Moore; Vice President, Qucntin
]\IcAdam; Secretary and Treasurer, William P. McCorkle; Conductor,
Grenville D. Wilson; Directors, Mrs. G. S. Mann, Mrs. J. O. Polhemus,
John A. Burke, James B. Simonson and George O. Martine. Officers
were elected every year after that, ending with 1897, when, on Septem-
ber 20tli of that year. Prof. Wilson, the conductor, died suddenly, after
nearly eighteen years of devoted service in advancing the cause of music
in Rockland county. In 1871 seventy members of the Nyack Choral
Society assisted Dr. Damrosch in giving his great May Music Festival
in the new Seventh Regiment armory, New York city. The Nyack
Pliilharmonic Sosiety was organized by Prof. Wilson in connection with
the Choral Society, but lived only a few years.

A. THEMANS.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 369

In 1900 the Nyack Musical Society was organized, with Hemy P.
JSToll as conductor, and the following officers: President, George E.
Baldwin; Vice President, George V. H. Blauvelt; Secretary, Jacob
Bollinger, Jr.; Treasurer, George B. Helmle; Librarian, G. Edwin
Gregory, W. W. Schupner; Directors, G. E. Baldwin, G. B. Helmle,
G. E. Gregory, G. V. H. Blauvelt, Jacob Bollinger, Jr., Lincoln J.
Stewart, Harry W. Dippel, Miss Adele Guerber, Miss May S. Blauvelt,
Mrs. Milton Sayres. This society has given four concerts since its or-
ganization.

The Nyack Comet Band was organized by Frederick ISToll, the
leader, in November, 1879. The band is still in existence, with
Alphonse Bombard as leader. There are two other musical organizations
in town, the Nyack Orchestra, under the direction of Miss Mabel Bab-
cock, and the orchestra of the Young Men's Christian Association.

NYACK'S THEEE BANKS.

The present Nyack National Bank, which has had a prosperous
career of twenty-four years last March, is the third banking institution
in the history of this town. The first was the Rockland County Bank,
which was opened in the building which still stands on the southeast
comer of Burd street and Piermont avenue (then Court street), on June
23, 1860. It became a National Bank in 1863, and a few years later
removed to the Commercial building, in the quarters now occupied
by the Nyack National Bank. In 1878 the old bank was obliged to go
into liquidation because of the faihire of the North Eiver and New
York Steamboat Company, whose paper it held for many thousands of
dollars. The closing of the bank caused a sensation all through Eock-
land county, for people in nearly every village in the county were inter-
ested. David J. Blauvelt was President and A. D. Morford was cashier.
A meeting of the stockholders was called and held in the rooms now
occupied by Waldron Post, G. A. E., on the second floor of the Commer-
cial building, and a stormy time ensued. The writer of this article was
present at that meeting and well remembers some of the bitter words
spoken. President Blauvelt urged that the bank be allowed to resume
business with capital reduced one-half. This was opposed. A settle-

370 HISTORY OF KOCKLAND COUNTY.

mcut of the bank's affairs was fiually permitted, aud the depositoi-s
received, in several dividends, the greater part of their deposits, bnt the
stockhoklers lost heavily.

The present Nyack National Bank was incoiiiorated in March, 1878,
with a capital of $50,000. The first directors and officers wore: Wil-
liam C. Moore, President; Charles A. Chapman, Cashier; S. R. Bi-adley,
Endolph Lexow, J. H. Weddle, Qnentin McAdam, William Voorhis,
George C. Stephens and Peter K. Knapp, Directors. This bank has
always been free from even a suspicion of weakness and occupies a posi-
tion of honor and strength among the best banking institutions in the
State. Its present officers and directors are: President, Charles A.
Chapman; Cashier, John M. Gesner; C. A. Chapman, S. R. Bradley,
George C. Stephens, Rudol]")h Lexow, A. M. Voorhis, S. E. Bradley,
Jr., and J. M. Gesner, Directors.

The Rockland County Savings Bank, located in ISTyack, was incor-
porated April 14, 1871. In the summer of 1887 it became insolvent
with a loss of $38,000. William J. Green was appointed Receiver, and
through his attorney. Gen. Robert Aver>', Sanuiel W. Canfield, Pre.si-
dent, and Richai'd P. Eells, Secretary and Treasurer, were indicted by
the Rockland County Grand Jury. The legal proceedings occupied
several months before they were ended, and, finally, on trial in the
Rockland Supreme Coui-t, both men were acquitted, their defense l>eing
that the bank's faihu-e was caused by several poor investments of the
money, for which they were not to blame.

THE NYACK HOSPITAL.

The Nyack Hospital grew out of the need of such a useful institution
which had been felt long before the project was undeiiaken or took def-
inite shape. The necessity of convejnng persons from this place or
vicinity to New York city for surgical operations or any hospital treat-
ment was so firmly realized that a number of public-spirited citizens
met together in 1894 and seriously considered the advisability of making
an effort to establish hospital facilities here for the use of this commu-
nity, or, indeed, for the use of patients from any other part of Rockland
county. Tlicre had been some talk among other philantliri>]iic people
of the town of founding a small hospital in some house already standing,
for the relief of the sick and injured, but it was deemed wise to consider

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 371

the formation of a stroug-cr organization and the erection of a substantial
permanent building which would become a first-class hospit^d in every
respect. This project was carried out, and the Nyack Hospital of to-day
occupies a proud and honored position among similar institutions in the
Hudson river cities and towns.

It was resolved to incorjjorate under the Hospital law of the State,
and to found an institution whose beginnings should be so planned as to
assure the future success of the hospital woi-k here. A certificate of
incorporation was executed December 22, 1894, with the following
incorporators: Arthur S. Tompkins, Dr. George A. Mui-sick, Charles
A. Chapman, Augustus M. Voorhis, Stephen E. Bradley, William
Dewey, George M. Hard, Clarence Lexow, John G. Dorrance, Dr. J. O.
Polhemus, M. Watson DeBaun, Enoch C. Bell, Albert E. Duryea, Dr.
Edward S. Oatman, Dr. Gerrit F. Blauvelt, Howard VanBuren, Dr.
Edward H. Maynard, Dr. Charles D. Kline, William B. Conrad and
Gilbert, H. Crawford.

This certificate of incorporation was approved by the State Board of
Charities on June 10, 1895, and was further approved for filing June
17, 1895, by Judge BroAvn, of the Supreme Court. This made the
incorporation complete. The first regular meeting took place on July
11th, the same year, when ofiicers and a Boai'd of Managci-s were elected.
A set of by-laws, carfidly fonnulatcd, was adopted. The first officers
and Board of Managers were as follows:
President — Stephen R. Bradley.
Vice President — George M. Hard.
Treasurer— Enoch C. Bell.
Secretary — Howard VanBuren.

Board of Managers — The above officers and Dr. J. 0. Polhemus,
Dr. E. S. Oatman, Mr. C. A. Chapman, Dr. C. D. Kline, Mr. W. B.
Conrad, Mr. G. H. Crawford, Dr. E. H. Maynard, Mr. M. W. DcBann,
Dr. G. F. Blauvelt, Mr. A. E. Duiyea, Mr. A. M. Voorhis.

A committee was appointed to look up a site for the hosi:>ital — one
which would be adequate for the needs of the institution for years to
come. Several plots of lands were examined, but none appeared so suit-
able for the puqwses of a hospital as the one finally selected on Midland
avenue and owned by the Mutual Life Insvu-ance Company of New
York. This site was purchased from the above company in December,

372 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

1895, for $3,000. It consisted of three acres of ground, well shaded by
large trees on every part, and accessible to all. The incorporatore, to
testify their deep interest in the project, subscribed, Avith a few others
interested, the sum of $1,350 as part payment and for incidental
expenses.

In the summer of 1896 Mr. Marshall B. Emery, the architect, pre-
pared dra^vings and a plan for the hospital, and these were adopted. In
September, 1897, a Kinness, under the direction of ]\Iiss Lila Agiiew
Stewart, was held for five days, and the sum of $3,900 was netted. The
mortgage of $2,000 on the hospital pi'operty was paid off: With a bal-
ance of $1,000 in the treasury the managers concluded to build at once.
The sum of $7,000 was boiTowed on bond and mortgage, and in the fall
of 1898 the work of construction was commenced.

In the summer of 1899 another Kirmess was held and a larger sum
than before was realized. The building was completed and on the first
day of January, 1900, the hospital was opened for the reception of
patients. The first one to be received was Mr. David J. Blauvelt, a
prominent and wealthy citizen, who had been waiting for some time to
have an operation perfonned. This was done successfully, and dm-ing
the two and a quarter years which have elapsed since a large amount of
skillful work has been performed by the hospital staff of physicians and
surgeons.

In the summer of 1901 a Venetian Carnival was held by Miss Stew-
art, realizing a large sum for the hospital. In addition $3,000 has since
been subscribed toward the addition of a Avard to the present buildings,
which Avill cost about $5,000. The present stnicture is the Administra-
tion building, and is only a part of the plan of the complete hospital sys-
tem. At times it is filled and many patients who want to enter are
obliged to wait for others to leave. Besides the pay patients who are
able to remunerate the hospital for its services, a large percentage have
been treated free.

Miss Montfort, a trained nurse of thorough experience and remark-
ably good judgment, is the superintendent in charge, and she is assisted
by a corps of four nurses. The Hospital Staff consists of Drs. G. P.
Blauvelt, C. D. Kline, E. II. Maynard, S. W. S. Toms, J. O. Polhcmus
and George A. Leitner.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 373

Following are the present officers and managers of the liospital:

President — Stephen E. Bradley.

Vice President — W. B. Conrad.

Secretary — Howard YanBuren.

Treasurer — Dr. C. D. Kline.

Board of Managers — Dr. J. 0. Polhemus, Dr. E. S. Oatman, Mr.
C. A. Chapman, Dr. C. D. Kline, Mr. W. B. Conrad, Mr. S. K. Brad-
ley, Mr. G. II. Crawford, Dr. E. II. Maynard, Mr. M. W. DeBaun, Dr.
G. F. Blauvelt, Mr. E. C. Bell, Mr. A. E. Duryea, Mr. G. M. Hard,
Mr. A. M. Voorhis, Mr. H. YanBuren.

NYACK GAS COMPANY.

The Nyack Gaslight and Fuel Company has grown to its present
large dimensions from the Nyack and Warren Gaslight Company, which
it succeeds. Tlie latter company was incorporated in November, 1859.
The gas works were biiilt on what is now known as Gcdney street,
where tlie present plant is located. After a few years under the man-
agement of the old eomiiany, William Yoorhis came in charge of the
works and became President. In 1893 the Nyack Gaslight and Fuel
Company was incorporated and the officers were: A. M. Yoorhis, Pres-
ident; William S. Yoorhis, Yice President; Frederick Perry, Secretary.
In 1894 the plant was enlarged and improved, and in 1889 a still more
extensiA-e change and improvement in the works was made. New meth-
ods were introduced and, at great cost, the plant was made one of the
latest improved and most complete of any along the Hudson river.
The present officers of the company are: President, A. M. Yoorhis;
Secretary, Frederick Pen-y; Treasurer, A. M. Yoorhis. The office of
Yice President has been abolished.

THE NYACK BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION.

The Nyack Building, Co-Opera tive Savings and Loan Association
was incorporated June 16th, 1888, imder and pursuant to an act of the
Loo-islature, known as Chapter .5.5(i of the Laws of the State of New
York pa.s.sed in 1887. The incorporators were: Clarence Lexow, M.
Watson DeBaun, Henry DeBaun, Abram G. Garrison, Lawton M. Bur-
dick, August .1. Gross, M. George Barrett, J. W. Graham, George Gates,

374 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Adam C. Haeselbarth, <T. Eckerson Demarest, Robert Halliday, Boltvis
M. Brush, Millard F. Onderdonk, Alonzo Corsa, A. A. Blacklodge,
Arthur S. Tomj)kins, liicliard T. Lyeth. The first officers and direc-
tors were:

President, Clarence Lexow; Vice President, John A. Demarest; Sec-
retary, Alonzo Corsa; Treasurer, John M. (iesncr; Directors, W. T. B.
Storms, C. E. Smith, A. A. Blackledge, H. T. Gesner, P. P. Waring,
Charles Ilariug, J. E. Demarest, R. J. Lyeth, Conrad Doersch.

The Association has had a prosperous career and aided, through
loans, in erecting many new buildings and improving others. The
shares in the tirst four series have matured and been paid oit', and the
fifth will be paid off at the close of next year.

The present standing of the Association is shown by the following
figures from the last annual report issued December 18, 19 01:

Resources, bonds and moi-tgages, $198,250.00; share loans,
$3,560.00; total of these two items, $201,810.00. Other items bring
the total resources up to $237,692.39.

Liabilities — Due to members' shares in June, $184,904.00; declared
profits, $47,353.61; due on incomplete loans, $500.00; maturity cer-
tificates outstanding, $4,300.00; undivided profits, $15.39; suspense,
$619.39. Total, $237,692.39.

The present officers are:

President — Clarence Lexow.

Vice President— Peter P. Waring.

Secretary — G. Edwdu Gregory.

Treasurer — Edwin R. Smith.

Attorney — Irving Hopper.

The Association's present headquarters are in the Voorhis block,
No. 4 North Broadway.

ELECTRICITY IN NYACK.

Electric light was introduced in Nyack fifteen years ago. In 1887
the Nyack Electric Light Company was formed, with the following
officers: President, Clarence Lexow; Vice President, Gon. Jnmes II.
Blauvelt; Secretary, Ilarrie G. Newton; Treasurer, Charles A. Chap-
man. A power house was built in Jackson avenue, and after the wires
were put up and the plant was in working order, the turning on of the

JOHN F. MCPAKLANE.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 375

electric light was celebrated by a parade in wliicli the firemen and other
citizens took paa-t. In ISilO the company added the incandescent sys-
tem to the arc lights which they had fnrnislied exclusively np to that
time. The patronage of the company increased, and after a short time
contracts were made with all the Nyack villages for street lighting by
electricity. This light has been used in the villages ever since.

In 1900 the Electric Light Company sold out to the present Rock-
land Light and Power Company, which now carries on the business
with gTeatly increased facilities. S. R. Bradley is the President of tlie
company and practically the owner of the plant. His son, S. K. Urad-
ley, Jr., is Vice President and George L. Chapman, his son-in-law, is
Secretary and Treasurer. The present plant is an almost entirely new
one. New poles were erected, new wires were strung, and the power
house was established at Orangeburg in one of several building-s therc^
owned by Mr. Bradley. The entire system here is complete in details
and the plant now furnishes electric light and power for a great part of
Rockland county, besides having its lines extended into Ujiper New
Jersey. The company's general office is in Moeller block, Broad-
way, Nyack.

THE NYACK FREE LIBRARY.

The Nyack Free Library, which is to have its home in a handsome
$15,000 building, paid for by Mr. Andrew Carnegie this year, had its
birth in 1879, when it was foimded as a subscription library, with Mr.
S. R. Bradley, President; Mr. Quentin McAdam. Vice President, and
ifr. John II. Tingley, Secretaiy. In 1890 the institution was regularly
chart ere<l and in 1894 it was made a free library. For a few years past
it has received an annual appropriation from each of the three Nyack
corporations towards its .support.

Early in 1901 a committee of the Directors of the Library made
application to Mr. Andrew Carnegie, the well known niulti-millionairo
and financier, to furnish $15,000 with which to pro^ade a sul>stantial
up-to-date Library building in Nyack. The application was made just
previous to Mr. Carnegie's sailing for Europe, so it was several months
before his decision in the matter could be kno^vn, although his private
secretary gave the committee words of encouragement. A few days
before Christmas of that vear word was received from Mr. Carnegie

376 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

that he would donate $15,000 for a free Library building in ISTyack if
the village would guarantee the sum of $1,500 a year for its support.
At the first meetings of the three Village Boards after that each one
decided to increase the appropriation which it was already giving to the
sum needed, so that the full amount of $1,500 is now guaranteed. Mr.
Carnegie, when informed of this, accepted the conditions and said he
would pay the money as it was required for the construction of the
bviilding.

The Libraiy had for some time owned a lot on lower Broadway,
between the Jouraal office and Dr. Maynard's residence, but there was a
strong sentiment in favor of locating the building on a more conspicuous
site farther north. After due consideration the Library Trustees issued
a call through the village papers for siibscriptions toward the sum of
$4,000 to jDurchase the UePew lot, on Broadway, where an old bam had
stood for thi'ee generations, that amoimt to be given in part payment
along with the lower lot already owned by the Library. The subscrip-
tions came in slowly at first, then there was a spurt one day when the
amount ran up to $1,020.00. After this other sums were added nearly
every day, and the whole siim was raised.

The present officers of the Library are: Howard Van Buren, Pres-
ident; Capt. Joel Wilson, Vice President; Eugene F. Perry, Secretary
and Treasurer; Directors, G. T. Morrow, George O. Martine, J. C. Greg-
oi-y, Gerrit Smith, Dr. E. H. Majaiard, Edward II. Cole, A. M. Voorhis,
Frank R. Crumble.

THE NYACK SCHOOLS.

Perhaps there is no direction in which Nyack has advanced more
steadily than in the way of educational institutions, there being in the
\allage to-day a Union and High School and three military academies,
besides a parochial school connected with St. Ann's R. C. Church.

It was some time before 1800 when the first school building was ]"iut
up in ISTyack. It was located in Main street, and the first teacher was a
man named Davenport. In 1806 a now school building was erected on
Broadway, where the post office now stands. The building was two
stories high and the school is said to have been well attended considering
the sparse population. In 1827 this building burned do\\ni, but was
aftenvard rebuilt. In 1837 a school building was erected on the pros-

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 377

ent site. In 1S51 a new and larger building was put up, with Archi-
bald Stewart as teacher. With an increasing population in the village,
the school attendance also increased and in 1867 it was found necessary
to build a large addition to the edifice. In 1884 the building M'as again
enlarged by the addition of a new front, and in 1892 it was still further
enlarged on each side, when fire-proof stairways of iron and stone were
put in and other material improvements were made.

The first Regents' examination in this school took place on Novem-
ber 25, 1890, and on December lOtli, 1890, the school was officially
admitted as a Regents' school. It was also made a superintendent's
school at the same time. Prof. Ira II. Lawton came to the school as
superintendent in the fall of 1890 and at once began good work which
has resulted in winning from the State Department of Public Instruc-
tion well deserved praise for the school as being one of the best in the
St^ate. It has three departments — Primary, Grammar and High Scliool
— and now employs 27 teachers, besides the superintendent. The
attendance registration of the school is about 1,200. The present Board
of Education consists of James II. Christie, President; Francis J. N.
Tallman, Secretary; Dr. E. H. Maynard, Peter E. Remsen and Howard
M. Storms.

The Rockland Female Institute was opened in what is now in South
Nyack, August 28, 18,50, under Rev. E. Van Zandt. In 1858 L. Delos
Mansfield took charge and conducted it successfully some years, when it
was finally closed.

Christopher Rutherford built and opened the Nyack Military Acad-
emy in 1859. In 1870 he died and the school closed. In 1870 Willam
n. Bannister, A. M., opened the school and in 1878 it was incorix)i'ated
under the Regents of the State as Rockland College and had a successful
career for sixteen years, when it closed.

In the fall of 1895 Capt. Joel Wilson, who had conducted a suc-
cessful military school at Newton, N. J., leased the Rockland College
building and opened a military school here which he afterward named
the Hudson River Militaiy Academy. The school prospered and was
conducted at the above place for four years, when Capt. Wilson leased
the handsome Tappan Zee Hotel property at South Nyack and removed
his sclioril there, where it has continued its prosperous career ever since.

378 HISTORY OF ROCKL,AND COUNTY,

This scliool has a sinnmer camp at Rye Beach, and rhirino- the Expo-
sition at JJuffalo it sent a battei-y there, where it was encamped for two
weeks, winning the approval of thousands who saw the young cadets drill
and go tlirougli their dithcnlt manenvei's.

On September 15, 1890, Prof Elmer E. French came to Nyack and
opened the Kockland Military Academy, which he still conducts success-
fully, lie has a large and prosperous school.

Prof. E. Stanton Eield, in September, 1901, opened the Nyack Mil-
itary Academy on what is known as the Hart property, north of the
Baptist Church, and has an excellent growing school.

There have been many private schools in Nyack during years past.

NYACK'S SEWER SYSTEM.

In the spring of 1803, recognizing that one of Nyack's needs in the
near future, with an increasing population, would be a complete sewer
system, which woiild protect the health of the people and prove a con-
venience to them as well, the Village Board, by the power vested in them
by law, appointed a Board of Sewer Commissioners, consisting of Cor-
nelius DeBaun, M. Watson DeBaun, Dr. E. H. Mayuard, Edwin B.
Sipple and Charles Theis. This Board engaged James S. Haring, a
civil engineer, to prepare a map, plans, etc., to be submitted to the State
Board nf Health. Mr. Haring ]>receeded to do this work and in March,
1894, his map and plans were submitted to the Board of Commissioners
and then to the State Board of Health, by whom they were approved in
May, 1894. To present the matter to the people of the village a special
election to vote on the question of having a sewer system was called and
it was held on September 18, 1894, when the people voted it do-mi.

The matter was then allowed to rest for several months and another
election was called for October 8, 1895. The people had evidently
thought the matter over more carefully, and at this election the proji-
osition was carried. The Sewer Commissioners were authorized to issue
bonds in a siun not exceeding $65,000 to pay for a sewer system in tho
lallage. In February, 1890, bids were received from several contractors,
and the contract was awarded to the Manhattan Supply Company, of
New York city, for the sum of $40,000. In May bonds of $50,000 were
issued. The Manhattan Supply Coni])nny liad a remarkably fine and dry
season for their work, which was finished in December of that year —

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 379

1896. In January, 1897, they pnt in a bill to the village of $42,000, in
a.iklition to the contract price, for exti-a work which they alleged had
been done. The village refused to pay the bill and suit was brought by
the Manhattan Company in the Supreme Court. The Hon. A. S. Tomp-
kins was retained by the plaintiffs and Lawyer Ralph E. Prime, of Yon-
kers, was secured to defend the village. When the matter came into
court it was seen that it would be impossible to try it before a jury
because of the length of time which it would take, and the Court
appointed Judge Bcattie, of Oi'ange county, Referee, to take testimou}'
in the case. The suit was then begun and the case was not decided until
May, 1901, when Judge Seattle gave the plaintiff a judgment for
$8,957.77. This simi included extra work and fifteen per cent of the
contract price, amounting to about $6,000, thus allowing the Manhattan
Company less than $3,000 for extra work and interest. The costs,
amounting to $5,987.28, were afterward taxed to the village, making a
total of $14,945.05, which the village was required to pay. No apjieal
was taken and about $7,000 has been paid up to the present time. The
sewer system is a good one in every particular.

ORANGETOWN'S TROLLEY SCHEJ^IES.

For the last seven years the eyes of people in every part of Rockland
county have been turned to Orangetowm, and particularly to Nyack, for
a realization of some one of several sch<'mcs which were to start a trolley
which would traverse a great part of the county. Up to this time, how-
ever, this has not been done, although the people are told to hope on,
as it is surely coming.

The first trolley project was started here in 1895, when two coni-
jianies were fonned. One of these, composed of local men, xras the
River and Valley Traction Company, and the other, headed by Pough-
keepsie men, was called the Nyack Traction Company. Both failed to
accomj^lish anything and they went out of existence. In 1897 a pro-
moter named Wilgus came here to represent a new Nyack Traction
Company, and by earnest work, accompanied by a remarkable degrof^
of tact and strong persuasive powers, spent several weeks in f>btainiug
franchises for a trolley line. His promises were so bright and appeared
so reasonable, that he succeeded in securing franchises from Sparkill
and Piermont, up the river road to Nyack and Upper Nyack and then

380 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

out tlirougli the county to West Wyack, Eockland Lake, New City and
other points. He obtained the rights of way over a large part of tlic
route, but not the whole of it, and the Nyack Traction Company hired
an office in this place, gave out contracts for material for tlie trolley, and
said the road would be biult at once. Several loads of rails and ties were
brought to Nyack, but suddenly all signs of work ceased, the rails and
ties, which had not been paid for, were taken away, and the county
appeared to be as far away from having the trolley as ever. The !Nyack
Traction Company became insolvent, and its franchises were afterwards
sold by a receiver to Charles W. Reeve, of New York city, for $5,550
in cash. This money was applied to the payment of debts of the Nyack
Traction Company.

On September 12, 1900, the Rockland County Traction Company
Avas ineorjiorated, with Charles W. Reeve as President, and the franchises
of the defunct Nyack Traction Company became this new company^s
property. After many linrd nttempts, Mr. Reeve announced during the
past winter of 1901-02 that he had secured the necessary financial back-
ing to build the trolley, and through his counsel, the Hon A. S. Tomp-
kins, he made application to the State Board of Railroad Commissioners
for a certificate of necessity and convenience, which would enable them
to institute condemnation proceedings along the Tonte of the proposed
electric road in places where the necessary consents could not be
obtained. At a hearing before the Railroad Commissioners on January
22nd, this year, owing to a technical in-egularity in the publication of
the notice of incorporation, an adjournment for some weeks became nec-
essary. A second hearing took place on Febniaiy 21, when it was found
that Mr. Reeves, when filing the certificate of incorporation of the Trac-
tion Company, had failed to put up the 10 per cent of the capital stock
in cash as required, and another adjournment became necessaiy. This
invalidated the old incorporation, and it was fo\md that it would be nec-
essary to iucoi-jiorate again, and to deposit $30,000 in cash, as 10 per
cent, of the $300,000 capital stock of the company. The company wns
re-incorporated, another hearing took place before the Rnilroad Commis-
sioners, and another adjournment wns found necessnry. Three outside
companies have gone over the field, and it looks nt tliis writing as if
Nyack might h.nve a trolley.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 381

NYACK WATER WORKS.

The present, water system of Nyack, while it has been costly and
taken time to establish it, is complete in every detail and affords the peo-
I^lo of Nyack, South Nyack and Upper Nyack as pure water as there is
in the State, and with a never-failing supply. It is taken from the Hack-
eusack river at West Nyack, passes through substantial filter beds of
sand, so that it is thoroughly filtered and purified before it comes over
the hills to Nyack.

The first definite move toward establishing this water system was
taken on July 15, 1895, when the Nyack Village Board appointed a
Board of Water Commissioners consisting of Dr. E. H. Maynard, the
Hon. George Dickey and Augustus A. Christie. An election was held
on September 3rd, 1895, when a majority of the taxpayers voted to
authorize the Commissioners to proceed to provide some system by
which to furnish Nyack with a sufficient supply of pure water. An
investigation was made in several localities to get water. A well was
driven near the river shore at Upper Nyack, and from this came a gen-
erous supply of water. It was foimd by chemical analysis, however,
that this water contained a slight trace of salt, and that project was
abandoned. The Spring Valley water shed was next inspected, but it
was found that it would prove too expensive to bring the water from that
distance, and this project was no longer considered.

The only feasible plan that appeared to remain was for the village to
acquire the plant of the Nyack Water Works, which had for years been
the pi'incipal source of Nyack's water supply. These works were orig-
inally established by the late Commodore William Voorhis, and after
his death they were owned and condiioted by members of his family,
who comprised the Nyack Water Works Company. In the early years
of this company the supply of water was furnished from springs in and
near the village, but these proving inadequate, mains were laid on the
turnpike to West Nyack, where a pump house was built and the water
was pumped from the Hackensack river.

The Board of Water Commissioners opened communication -with the
Nyack Water Works Company in 1S9fi for the purpose of acquiring
that company's plant by purchase if possible. No agreement could be
entered into in regard to price, and it was then decided to institute con-
demnation proceedings. This was done and Louis J. Lediger, of Blau-

382 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

velt ; John M. Verdin, of New City, and "William McCauley, of Haver-
straw, were appointed by the coiu't a commission to take testimony and
appraise the value of the water plant. This was done and as a result the
company received $107,000 for their property. It was decided to lay
new water pipes in the streets, while the sewer pipes were being put in,
so that they could be put in the same ditches. This was done and that
part of the new system was completed. In the summer of 1897 bonds to
the amount of $165,000 were issued to pay for the old company's plant
and to complete the village's plant at West Nyack. Land was aetiuired
at AVest Nyack, a large new pump house was built and a system of filtra-
tion by filter beds of sand was adopted by the Commissioners and rec-
ommended by the best experts in the State. "Work on the filter lieds
proceeded until the money ran out, when an additional appropriation
was asked for in 1898. This proposition was voted down, and nothing
was done for nearly a year. In 1899 the matter was submitted to the
people, and they voted an appropriation to complete the work. The filter
beds have proved a gratifying success and the entire plant is now com-
plete and satisfactory.

THE SnSSIOJ^AEY INSTITUTE.

One of the most important and perhaps most notable institutions es-
tablished in ISTyack within the last five years is the Missionaiy Institute
of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, situated on Nyack Heights. In
the year 1896 the Eev. A. B. Simpson, who is at the head of the Alli-
ance, and some of his co-workers, conceived the idea of establishing a
jMissionary Institute here and of erecting a tabernacle near by for the
holding of a yearly convention in the early part of each September. He
purchased in all about 70 acres of ground on Nyack Heights, including
the handsome and costly residence of the Rev. Eoss Taylor, son of
Bishop Taylor, of Africa. This residence had burned down a coiiple
of yeai-s before and four of the Eev. Eoss Taylor's children perished in
the flames. With a degree of courage seldom seen Mr. Taylor rebuilt
the house and, wth the remainder of his family, continued to make his
home there. After the property was purchased by the Alliance, how-
ever, Mr. Taylor vacated the premises, and the building, handsomely

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 383

furnished throughout, has bccu kuowu as the Berachah Home, iu which
the sick and afflicted are cared for and where the faith of Divine Healina-
is practiced.

During the winter and early spring of 1897 the Christian Alliance
got out i)lans for the Missionary Institute, made contracts ^^dth buildei-s
and in the early part of May of that year the comer-stone was laid with
a]i]iropriate ceremonies. On this occasion several hundred members of
the Christian Alliance came up on a special train from New York city
and for the first time climbed up the Heights, to an altitude of 500 feet,
to be present at the comer-stone laying. A tabernacle to seat nearly
2,000 people was erected on the premises north of the Institute, and the
first convention on Nyack Heights was held for ten days in early Sep-
tember, and on the closing Sunday of that convention a collection of
$1 fi, Ono was taken for the cause of missions. After that the Institute
was completed and opened in October, 1897, with about 200 students
who were studying to become missionaries. The cost of the Institute
was some $40,000. Each year since that time the Institute has been
filled with students from October until the following Jime, and the cus-
tom of holding annual conventions is continiied. Eev. Dr. Simpson,
after the Institute was completed, erected a handsome residence for
himself on the hillside, and at the foot of the hill the Alliance Press,
a printing establishment which does the extensive work of the Alliance
in that line, was erected and stocked, having a value at the present time
of not less than $40,000. Recently the printing plant was removed to
New York city. Dr. Simpson has hopes that if the trolley comes to
Nyack, he may run a spur up the hill, and that the entii-e hillside will
become dotted with pretty cottages.

YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

The Young Men's Christian Association was organized in Nyack
on December 22, 1888, and the As.sociation is at present in better con-
dition than for some time past. It is non-sectarian, including in its
membership men and boys of all denominations and creeds. The Asso-
ciation building, purchased in 1890, is on Main street, half a block west
of Broadway, and has imdergone extensive improvements in the last

384 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

year. It has a reading room, ladies' parlor, public hall, gymnasium,
bowling alleys, baths, etc., and au active Ladies' Auxiliary is connected
with the organization.

The General Secretaries of the Association since it was instituted
have been as follows:

Henry J. Wilkius, from Dec, 1888, to Oct. 1, 1891.

George A. Dugan, from Oct. 1, 1891, to June 1, 1893.

Edward C. Brownell, from August 1, 1893, to August 1, 189G.

Alfred E. Scott, from Sept. 1, 1896, to Oct. 1, 1S97.

E. D. Munnx;, from Dec, 1897, to Jime, 1898.

G. H. Hauser, from Sept. 1898, to Jan. 1, 1900.

James E. Canfield, the present efficient General Secretary, came here
in May, 1900. A. G. Jillard, from Poughkeepsie, is Assistant Genei'al
Secretary and Physical Director.

The present officers and Directors of the Association arc:

President — Frank R. Crumbie.

Vice President — Gerrit Smith.

Eecording Secretary — George V. H. Blauvelt.

Treasurer — James C. Gregory.

Directors — Eugene F. Perry, Victor Ackerman, William Keen-
holts, A. S. Tompkins^ F. J. N. Tallman, John M. Gesuer, James C.
Gregory, S. M. Wilson, C. W. Fidlwood, G. H. Hopper, Gerrit Smith,
James VanWoelden, John S. Muiray, Truman H. Baldwin, Frank R.
Crumbie, T. J. W. Ebersole, G. V. H. Blauvelt.

NYACK EIRE DEPARTMENT.

The history of the Nyack Fire Department dates back to the fall
of 1834, when, on October first, the first engine company, Orangetown,
No. 1, was fonnod. A "bucket" engine was purchased and did service
for fifty years. It was the only engine in the village and aided in extin-
guishing a number of destructive fires. In 1884 a "Button" steamer
was piirchased.

Mazeppa Engine Company, No. 2, was organized on Decemlx-r 27,
1852, and used a then up-to-date hand engine until January, 1884,
when the company purchased a "Silsby" steamer.

CUKXt.LILS AUKYANSEN.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 385

Jackson Engine Company, N'o. 3, was organized May 9, 1S67, and
reorganized on May 2, 1882. Some time later this company also pur-
chased a steamer, making three in the village.

Chelsea Hook and Ladder Company, No. 2, was organized in 18U1.

Jackson Hose Company, JSTo. 3, was organized in September, 1880.

Highland Hose Company was organized in the fall of 1895.

All of these companies are well equipped ^vith modem apparatus,
but since Nyack has had its present water system the steamers are not
needed, as the water pressure is sufficient to throw a stream ov'er the
highest building in ISTyack at any time during the day or night.

The officers of the Nyack Fire Department are:

Chief — George Milton.

First Assistant — Frank Wanamaker.

Second Assistant — Matthew Evers, Jr.

PIEEMONT.

The Village of Piennont, whose industrial interests to-day look
brighter than they have for many years, has an interesting though varied
history with which most of the residents thei'e are unfamiliar. Pier-
mont has always had among its population a goodly number of Rockland
county's most substantial citizens, who, ever amid the village's most
trying times, in a business sense, have looked forward for renewed
prosperity for the place in which they were pleased to live.

The first i:)ort of entry in Rockland county was the Piennont creek,
then knowTi as the "slot«." The name by which the place was desig-
nated at that time was Tappan, and the boats than ran up the creek to
the old mill dam, at the spot whei'e the Haddock building now stands,
and stopped at Tappan Landing, by the dam. This creek was of great
importance to the early settlers in that region, for it afforded them au
outlet for the produce which they wished to market. Sloops sailed from
the river up the creek, and were loaded with produce, which tliey car-
ried to New York to market. This method of travel was extremely slow,
and consequently the shipment of produce was not very frequent.
Eaisei's of produce continued this method of sending their goods to mar-
ket until 1827, when steamboat na\'igation was established.

"When the New York and Erie Railroad was built, in 1839, and the
long pier, which still exists, was built a mile out into the river, the name

386 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

of the place was changed to Piennont. The name was suggested both
Ly tlie pier and the liigh nio\intains which fonn a finn and bcantifnl
background for the village.

One of the early settlers of this region built a mill on the creek or
slotc, and long before the Revolution Abraham Mabie opened a store in
the building and continued it until the close of that war. In 1783, or
thereabout, this store came into the possession of Major Abraham Taul-
man, who conducted it until liis death, in 1835, when his sons succeeded
him. These sons continued the business imtil 1856, when John Myers
bought them out. In 1857 Myers sold out to Roger Haddock, who
remained in the old building until 1876, when he moved his stock and
business to the large brick building which he erected in 1875, and which
is now occupied by the Hasbrouck Motor Company, about half-way to
Sparkill.

The post office here was established in 1815, and on March 25th of
that 3'ear Philip Dubey was appointed Postmaster. The name of the
post-office then was changed. On May 28th, 1830, Morris Bartow was
made Postmaster; Peter T. Taulman became Postmaster on April 9,
1S34, and the name of the office was changed to Slote. Finally, on June
26th, 1839, the name of the office was changed to Piennout. The names
of the Postmasters who have succeeded Peter H. Taulman are: David
Clark, S. A. Jessup, John B. "Wandle, Richard Wandle, Abram J.
Storms and David Doremus, who was appointed under the present
administration of President Roosevelt.

Piermont's first schoolhouse was built early in the nineteenth cen-
tury. It stood on the east side of the creek on the road to Palisades.
This building was succeeded by a new one in 1845. Another change
was made in 1884, when a larger schoolhouse was erected at a cost of
$5,000. The present handsome and up-to-date school building, bearing
the name of Tappan Zee High School, is the result of a combination of
progi'essive forces for the purpose of raising the standard of education
in the village and affording the children first-class facilities for acquir-
ing a good education. By a special act of the Legislature of 1897-8,
Union Free School District, No. 2, Sparkill; District No. 3, Piennont,
and Common School District No. 8, Grand View, were consolidated at a
special election held in April, 1898, and the new district is No. 3. A
committee was appointed to procure a site for a large new school build-

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 387

ing, and the present site was purchased from the Blauvelt estate. Plans
were then prepared, submitted and adopted, and the Board of Educa-
tion called a special meeting of the qualified voters of the district to vote
upon a resolution authoriziug them to boiTOW the sum of $24,000 and
issue therefor twenty-four bonds of $1,000 each for the erection of a
new schoolhouse. This election was held on November 3, 1898, and the
resolution was carried. The new building was erected and elaborate
and interesting dedication exercises were held in the school room, which
was crowded on the evening of Jamiary 15th, 1900. The Board of Edu-
cation, throiigh whose faithful and efficient direction the work was car-
ried on to successful completion, consisted of: William F. Mastin, Pres-
ident; Charles Haring, Clerk and Trustee, and Tnistces Anna T. P.
May, Marie S. Yale, Eleanor T. Westervelt, Lewis R. Suiitli, George M.
Hard, David W. Kipp and John J. Mead. The school was named the
Tappan Zee High School, and is under the Principalsliip of Sidney F.
Firman, who is assisted by a good sized corps of instnictors.

The population of Piermont Village, by the census of 1900,
was 1,153.

The building of the Erie railroad made Piennont what it was in its
most prosperous days. The erection of the round house and car shops
there brought in a large amount of ready money, and being the terminus
of that road made it the place of residence of a large number of men
in the railroad serA-ice, with their families. Two ro^ind houses, a
machine, car and paint shop, planing mills, a foundry and other build-
ings necessary at the terminal point of a railroad, were erected, all
together covering an area of a little over four acres. In 18fiO, the fii-st
year of the Civil War, the prosperity of Piennont was at its height. The
population in that year was 2,426 and everyone was thrifty and happy.
Two years later the Erie road changed its terminus to Jersey City, and
this was a heavy blow for Piennont, from which the place did not
recover for many years. The company's works were taken to Jersey
City, and, in consequence, many families were obliged to leave. It is
said by some of the older residents that in the early part of 18(52 the ])()p-
ulation of Piermont had been reduced at least one-half, and that many
more removed from the place during the spring and srimmer of that
year. Piennont, however, continued as the tenniuus for passengers and

388 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

freight on the ISTortliem Raih-oad until in 1870, when the Nyack branch
of that road was completed and opened.

Piermont became an incorporated village in 1850, with the follow-
ing officers: President, Peter H. Taulman; Trustees, J. G. Blauvelt,
James A. Hopson, S. S. Post and J. T. Walsh; Clerk, Cornelius Hoff-
man. The present officers are; 0. W. P. Westervelt, President;
George E. DeGroat, George Grimme, G. I. Clayton, W. H. Myers, Tnis-
tees; John W. Aureyansen, Clerk; John B. Wandle, Treasurer.

Empire Engine Company ~No. 1, which is still in existence, with an
efficient membership, was the first company of the Piermont Fire Depart-
ment, which was organized in 1852, with James Westeiwelt as Chief,
and its engine house was owned by the Erie Company. Protection Com-
pany, No. 1, was organized in 1856, but disbanded in 1878. Empire
Company No. 1 is now equipped with a first-class steamer and does
effective work at fires where an ample supply of water can be obtained.
In some localities the water supply is very meagre, and the fii'emeu,
always ready to perfomi their duty, are thus handicapiaed.

Piermont has its share of societies, fraternal and otherwise. The
oldest is Piermont Lodge, No. 83, I. 0. O. F., which was organized Feb.
1st, 1843, with William DeVoe, Noble Grand; D. A. Mabie, Vice
Grand, John J. Lawi-ence, Secretary; John B. Wandle, Treasurer.
This lodge is still in a prosperous condition, with a good member-
ship and has handsome new quarters recently fitted up and tastefully
furnished. Viola Lodge, Rebekah Degree, a woman's branch of the
order, is a recent valuable addition to Odd Fellowship in Piermont.

Wawayanda Lodge, No. 315, F. & A. M., wa.s oi'ganized in June,
1853, witii D. B. Parsons, W. M.; R. H. Black, S. W.; E. G. Bennet,
J. W. ; John Randall, Treasurer; D. C. Noe, Secretary; Levi F. Ward,
S. D. ; John R. Baker, J. D. Rockland Chapter, Royal Arch Masons,
was organized in Api'il, 1867, but has since removed to Nyack.

Rockland Council, No. 491, American Legion of Honor, was organ-
ized in April, 1881, with F. B. Wright, Commander; S. G. Clark, Vice
Conmiander; Isaac E. Gillies, Secretaiy; George Pierson, Jr., Collector;
George A. Knapp, Treasurer; Ward Phillips, Guide; C. V. A. Blau-
velt, Warden; J. W. Adriance, Sentry; E. G. Tucker, Past Commander.

The PieiTuont Rowing Association, organized in October, 1879,
is stilFa thrifty organization, although affording but little sport in latter

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 389

years in the. way of aquatics. The Association's first officers were:
President, Edward N. Whiton; Vice President, Lewis G. Clark; Secre-
tary, F. B. Wright; Captain, J. A. Styles; Lieutenant, A. X. Fallon.
The present fine boat house of the club was built in the \\nnter of
1S7!)-'S0. In the last few years the house has been used principally for
social affairs and bowling. A. X. Fallon, the first Lieutenant of the
Association, then a modest and always honest lawyer, is now County
Judge of Rockland County.

What has proved a very useful organization in the village is the Pier-
niont Lnprovement Association, which has done a large amount of work
to bring about what its name suggests — improvement. This association
was organized April 18, 1892, and incorporated under the New York
State Laws August 11, 1890. Its officers are: President, William F.
Mastin; Secretary, Charles Haring; Treasurer, John C. Haring. The
Pierniont Free Library is an outgrowth of the Improvement Association,
and is under the immediate supervision of the Woman's Committee,
with Mrs. M. L. Yale, Chairman; Miss Eleanor T. Hai-ing, Librarian,
and Miss A. E. Haring, Assistant Librarian.

Renewed prosperity for Piermont in an industrial line seems now
assured by two enterprises recently established. One of these, the larger
of the two, is the Piennont Paper Company, which in 1901 purchased
a large tract of land where the car shops and round house fonnerly
stood, and erected thereon an immense brick building for the manufac-
ture of paper of all kinds. The work started up in February of this
year and has gradually increased. The Piermont Paper Company was
incorporated at Albany on January 2?.rd, 1902, with a capital of $500,-
000. The Directors are: Crawford Fairbanks, of Terre Haute,
Indiana; Martin R. Williams and Charles E. Williams, of Permont;
William J. Alford, of Anderson, Indiana, and Benjamin I. Harter, of
Chicago.

The Hasbrouck Motor Works, established in 1900, is also an impor-
tant industry, occupying the large Haddock building, on the road to
Sparkill. This company is making motors for yachts and other vessels.
The officers are: President, Stephen A. Hasbrouck; Vice President, E.
J. Collins; Secretary and Treasurer, Dr. Stephen Hasbrouck.

390 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

SPAEKILL.

Up to 1870 Sparkill bore the name of Upper Piennont. The resi-
dents became dissatisfied with the latter name and gave it the title of the
cre«k which passes through it — the Sparkill. Isaac A. Spencer was
appointed first Postmaster on May 13, 1872, and held the position until
his sudden death, early in 1880, when he was succeeded by his wife,
Lucretia Spencer. ]\liss Vincent succeeded her and Mrs. Auryansen is
the present Postmistress. Spai'kill is chiefly a place of residences.

OEANGETOWN'S CEMETEEIES.

In the different parts of Orangetown may still be seen occasional
evidences of private burying grounds where, many years ago, the
remains of deceased persons were interred, but these were not known as
public cemeteries, nor was there such a cemetery established in this town
for the reception of the dead from any part of the county from which
friends desired to bring them, until 1847. In that year, singularly
enough, the two most beautifiil and most conspicuous cemeteries along
the Hiidson river were founded. One of these was Oak Hill Cemetery,
situated on the hillside west of Nyaek village, and the other was Rock-
land Cemetery, on the hill west of Piermont village. These two far-
famed burial places have steadily been imiDroved, and persons of note
from different quarters of the globe are buried in both.

OAK HILL CEMETEEY.

Oak Hill Cemetery succeeded two smaller burial places in Nyack,
the first being on the old C. T. Smith property, west of what is knowni
as the "Bight," now at the lower limit of South Nyack, and the other
the Presbyterian Cemetery, two blocks west of where the Baptist Church
is situated. The bodies from these two old cenieteries were removed
to Oak Hill Cemeterj' in 1873 and 1869 respectively.

The wisdom and necessity of establishing Oak Hill Cemeteiy was
talked of by the citizens of Nyack and vicinity in 1847, and it was the
universal opinion that such a move should be made. In February, 1848,
a public meeting was held and it was unanimously resolved to dedicate
the gTound as a place of burial. In June of that year the plans were
put into execution and the ceremonies, religious in their character, were

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 391

appropriate and elaborate. The dedication service was performed by
the Rev. Dr. Ilardcnburg and an oration was delivered by the Hon.
Hugh Maxwell. David D. Smith was the owner of the land up to March
I7th, 1865. He received four-fifths of the purchase money from the
sale of plots and the remaining fiftli was held by the Cemetery Board
for the improvement of the grounds. On March 17, 1865, the cemetery
was incoi-porated by a special act of the Legislature. The cemetery
steadily imijroved and several times it became necessary to enlarge it
by the purchase of adjoining gToimds.

In the winter of 1899-1900 a movement was started by a party of
men from New York city to get control of Oak Hill Cemetery, and
never before, in the more than half-centiiry of its existence, had the
plot-o^vners and others interested in the ground become so aroused over
anything as they were over tliis proceeding to get charge of the man-
agement of the cemetery's affairs. The city parties were interested in
the Stephen Men-itt BTirial Comj^any, New York, and they told the
Trustees of Oak Hill Cemetery that they would place them in charge
of this gi'ound they would make great improvements thereon and cause
a great sale of plots to their friends in tlie city. A majority of the
Tnistees believed the story told them, and five of them resigned
so that the remaining four could appoint the New York men in
tlieir places. Those. apix)inted were: Rev. Ross Taylor, "W. Baldwin,
S. T. Dennis, V. E. Prentiss and Frank E. Campbell. This action was
all taken \vithout the previous knowledge of the public, and tlic now
members of the Board, constituting a majority, purchased an additional
plot of ground to the cemetery for $1,500, marked it off in plots, placed
a value upon each plot and issued shares, or what they called "certificates
of indebtedness," to the amount of $200,000 !

When this action became known to the plot-owners they boeanic
aroused, held a public meeting and retained Congressman A. S. Tom]>
kins to take legal proceedings to overthrow what the new men had done.
Rev. Ross Taylor had been made chaimian of the Board, and the annual
meeting of plot-owners, for the election of three Trustees, held in
August, 1900, was more largely attended than any meeting ever held
before. The crowd was angTV and would not permit President Taylor
til preside. When the time for election came Mr. Taylor and his law-
yer attempted to vote the certificates of iTidelitedness which tliey had

392 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

witli them, so as to oiit-vote the plot-owners, but the crowd wouhl not per-
mit this, and John D. Blauvelt, Warren D. Sawyer and James E. Sher-
wood, of Nj'ack, were elected. The matter was taken lx?fore the Supreme
Court, Avhcre tlie acts of Koss Taylor and his associates were proved
illegal and the certificates of indebtedness of no value whatever. The
last member of the Board from New York city lias since been ousted,
and the affaire of Oak Hill Cemeterj' are now in better condition than
for many years past. John D. Blauvelt is President of the Board and J.
L. Halstead is Superintendent.

ROCKLAND CEMETEEY.

Rockland Cemetery, above Piermont, with an existence equal in
term of years to that of Oak Hill Cemetery, has lately gTown in interest
and in beauty. It faces the broad Tappan Zee on the east, while from
the third plateau, on a perfectly clear day, may be seen the tops of spars
of vessels on Long Island Sound. This plateau has within a few years
been made famous by the burial of several prominent persons, includ-
ing the late Lieut.-Commander Gomnge, who a few yeai"s ago brought
to this country the obelisk which lias since adorned Central Park, and
not far away from the Gorringe plot are buried the remains of Gen.
John C. Fremont, the great "American Pathfinder."

Rockland Cemetery has an area of about 200 acres. Its founder
was the late Eleazer Lord, who conceived the plan in 1847 of provid-
ing a burial place for some of the dead of New York city. Mr. Lord's
plans were put into execution, but when, in 1862, the Erie railroad ter-
minus, which had been at Piermont, was changed to Jersey City, the
population of that region gieatly decreased, and the cemetery matters
were brovight almost to a standstill. Early in the spring of 1880 Wil-
liam H. Whiton, an extensive lajid o\vner of Piermont, in conjunction
w^th several other prominent men, revived Mr. Lord's project. They
constructed miles of excellent, smooth roads, and bridges, iiistic houses,
arbors, seats, etc. were built. The improvements cost over $50,000.
Since that time the career of the cemeteiy has been a prosperous one.
George O. Martine is the Superintendent.

TELEPHONE SERVICE IN ORANGETOWN.
Orangetown was the first town in Rockland county to have telephone
service and Nyack was the first village. Before the service was intro-

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 393

(hieod liorc in a practical way, a man intcrosted in extending tlio inven-
tion, to show its nsefulnoss liirod the Xyack Opera Ilonse and connected
it by wire with the public schcwl building. Telephones were p)ut in both
places and those who so desired were allowed to converse between those
two places. The long distance telephones had not yet been invente<l,
but the unimproved kind that were then used were a wonder to the
people.

Soon afterward it was learned that Xyack was to have regular tel-
ephone service, and an exchange was established in the Commercial
building by the Westchester Telephone Company on October 15, 1883,
with Edgar P. Blauvclt as manager. This company continued the ser-
vice until July Ist, 1S9G, when it was absorbed by the New York Tel-
ephone Company, which began at once to improve the service and the
patronage rapidly increased. Within the last two years exchanges have
lieen opened in Sufi'ern, Spring Valley and Piennont, and the company's
lines extend all through the county, except in the northern part,, where
in Haverstraw, Garncr^'ille, West Ilaverstraw and Stony Point, the
Hudson Eiver Telephone Company have control. Mr. E. E. Blau\'elt
gave up the position of manager for some time a few years ago, but for
several years since he has again been in charge and now manages the
service all over the county where the New York company's lines extend.

OEANGETOWN IN THE CIVIL WAR.

Orangetown led the county in olitaining recruits for the Union army
in tJie Civil War. Immediately after President Lincoln's call for vol-
unteers recruiting was begun in Nyack, and by May 1st, 1861, Company
(} of the Seventeenth Eegiment, N. Y. Volunteei's, was enrolled and
ready for service. This company was as follows:

Ofhcers — James M. Demarcst, Captain; Luther Caldwell, First
Lieutenant; James II. Christie, Second Lieutenant; S. C. Mabie, Brevet
Second Lieutenant; William Matthews, Orderly Sergeant; Charles H.
Hawkins, Second Sergeant- Jacob Baker, Third Sergeant; George E.
Ingalls, Fourth Sergeant; Anthony Lydecker, First Corporal; Towt J.
Waldron, Second Corporal; Charles II. Putnam, Third Corporal; George
Phillil>s, Fourth Corporal.

Privates — Heni-y Bolmer, J. H. Bennett, David Baker, Isaac Blau-
velt, Philip Bertenshaw, Harvey Curtis, John II. Conover, John Daily,

394 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

George Dcvoe, George Decker, David Diitcher, Jacob Dutcher, Wil-
liam II. Dealing, James JST. Dines, James Driscoll, William Ennis,
(icorgc I'lister, Anthony Foster, T. V. Foley, Alfred Gan-abrant, George
Hawkins, Bernard Harrison, Joseph Ilotl'man, AVilliam Ives, James
Knfipp, George Lyons, Charles Meissner, W. Mondawka, Joseph ^Min-
nerly, George Neve, Walter B. Neal, John II. Palmer, John Pareells,
Bnrrell Pntney, Alexander liydcr, John II. Pyder, David Rose, Dennis
Salters, I. D. Smith, Thomas See, George Tremper, A. G. Thompson,
Edgar N. Waldron, William J. Waldron, Carrol S. Waldron, Adam
White, Eichard White, Ili'nry Wood, John N. Wood, Daniel Wood,
Daniel Wootten, Isaac Dean, Daniel Dean, William II. Baker.

Company G left Nyaek on the morning of Thursday, May 9, 18G1,
by the steamboat Isaac P. Smith for New York, where it remained until
June 14, when it was transferred to Staten Island. There the men
received their uniforms, and on June 21st they started for Washington.
The 17tli Regiment did valient service and won honors in its work
toward saving the Union.

A relief organization was formed at a meeting held on May 24tli,
1861, to take measures toAvard aiding the families of the voluntcei-s who
might be in want. The officers of this organization were: President,
D. D. Smith; Vice Presidents, I. S. Lydecker, A. L. Christie, Tunis
Smith, George Green, D. D. Demarest, J. W. Towt, Peter DePew,
David J. Blauvelt, Ferdinand S. Nichols, Isaac Hart, John Y. Buit,
William B. Collins; Secretaries, William Yoorhis, Daniel Biut, Colonel
Isaac Sloat; Treasurer, Daniel D. Demarest.

After the departure of C'onipany G, 17th Regiment, volunteering
continiied in Nyaek and not a very long time elapsed before forty-three
members of Companies A and E of the 127th Regiment, N. Y. Volun-
teers, had enlisted: William H. Ayers, Edward H. Ackerraan, James
Ackcrman, William A. Benson, Isaac Brewer, Sr., Cornelius A. Chris-
tie, David I. Christie, George Cooper, Augustus Conover, -Jr., James
Creany, Samuel Conklin, Hem-y DeBaun, John DeBaim, Simeon For-
shay, James Fields, Thomas Gavey, John Henderson, George Hoffman,
P. Hefferman, Richard Kelly, Alfred Lowdie, James Murray, Jesse
Osborne, Josiah Rhodes, John Rutherford, Charles Rodgers, Daniel
Scott, Tunis D. Seaman, Albert Waldron, Henry E. Smith, George
Smith, Charles H. Sncdcker, Alfred G. Thomp.son, Bmndage Tompkins,

CAPTAIN JtlEL WILSON, U. S. V., A. M.

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 395

James Tompkins, Edward Tucker, Peter Tallman, Charles II. Warner,
Thomas Y. W. Warner, -T. Bradley Ware, Thomas Welsli, George AV.
Wood, John Ward.

The following- volunteers in the Sixth N. Y. Heavy Artillery enlisted
from ()rangeto^vn: Captain Wilson DeftMidorf, John 0. Daily, Charles
Dean, John Dean, Isaac IVlter, Frank ]\I. llaeselbarth, William J. Jor-
dan, Charles Meissner, Jr., George Phillips, John II. Wootten, Andrew
Dorfner.

Among the other volunteers who went from OrangetoAvn in different
companies were: Abram Bolmer, Isaac Blanch, Lemuel Hudson,
George A. Ennis, Henry Ennis, William E. Tuttle, Frank B. Jones,
.lohn II. Jone*, George II. Jones, Wallace (xilman, John H. Miller,
George H. Phillips, Louis E. Hagen, Charles McElroy, George Quick,
Ivohert C. Walker, Levi Van Riper, Jacob E. Westervelt. James L.
Fcnton was in the 1st Regiment, Yolunteer Engineers.

The above list is not complete, nor is it pos.sible to make it so, as
no complete muster rolls or other records are obtainable, Init it is the
very best, that can be made up from the data obtainable.

Many men were drafted from Orangetown in the drawing which
began at Tarrytown on July 20th, 1863, but they were not obliged to go
to war, for at a special town meeting it was voted to borrow $30,000 on
the credit of Orangetown, to pay the exemption fee of $300 for ever}'
one who was drafted. This money helped to pay for substitutes, many
of whom were willing to go for the bounty which they received and at
the same time do seiwice for the maintenance of the Government. A
second draft took place on May 9th, 1864, but Orangetown had filled
her quota. President Lincoln made his third call for men on July IS,
1864, and to meet this demand the people of Orangetown voted to raise
the bounty of $300 per volunteer. Filling lier quota by this means,
Orangcto^vn was not drawn upon for men.

ORANGETOWN IN THE SPANISH WAR.

When the Nation was aroused by the blowing up of the Maine in
Ilavanu harbor in February, 1898, the same spirit of patriotism which
scut a thrill tlu-ough the young manhood of Orangetown in the early
'(iO's was again manifested, and many young men, including some who
were too young for Uncle Sam's service, expressed a desire to enlist

3% HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

under his flag in a war against Spain. While there was no certainty at
that time that vsucli a war would take place, these young men were anx-
ious to be among the first in line, and a call for volunteei's was issued
in Nyack. On April IG a meeting was held in the Grand Anny rooms
and it was then decided to form either a militia company or a company
of volunteei's. This was the first move made in Rockland county toward
the organization of such a company, and it was successful, for more
than fifty young men enrolled their names, although a number of them
afterward failed to pass a medical examination and were thus disqual-
ified. Mr. George E. Baldwin, of the Seventh Regiment, took them
in charge and aided them in their preparations. Other meetings were
afterward held and the interest became intensified.

These recruits were ready when war became imminent, and on ]\Iay
13 they were ordered to the State camp at Peekskill, where they were
mustered into the 12th Kegiment, N. Y. Vols. On May 27th the regi-
ment left Peekskill for New York on the steamer Glen Island and from
there wei-e taken to Chickamauga, where they went into camp. Later
in the fall they were transfeiTcd to camp at Lexingion, Ivy. On Dec.
27th the regiment was sent to Matanzas, Cuba, and remained there until,
on March 8th, 1889, the soldiers were ordered home, to be mustered out.
Before leaAdug for Cuba, however, two of the Xyack boys. Privates How-
ard Wyre and James G. Conklin, were discharged because of ill health
and came home. Tlie Twelfth did not see active service in battle, but
in their camp life they were loyal to every duty and ready for any call
that might come to them.

Those in the Twelfth Regiment from Orangetown, most of them

from Nyack, were:

lieliringer, Geo. F. Gesner, Harry

Reihringer, Chas. A. Green. Edw-iard

P.liven, Robert A. Handy, Frank W.

Uliven, Albert A. Morf, Fred.

Bolmer, Ra-y Mitoliell, Peiter

liliauvelt, Louis (Corp.) Prindle, Charles

Conklin, .Tames G. S^a<?h, Max

Cogg-esliall, Lonis I. Wood, Kdn-ard

De\ine, T. .T. Wobie, Geiorge A.

Oaris, G. F. W. Kessler, John H.

Daly, John O Leary, T. J.

l^eiter, Clyde Stoothoif, Robt. C.

Fenton, Fred. L. Vanderhoof, Harry

Frae, Fra,nk Williams, Harry

Wyre, Howard

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN.

397

The soldiers iu the Twelfth Regimeut were not the only volunteers
from Orangetowu. Other branches of service were well represented
Iroui this town, as follows:

Atlee, Porter
Babcock, Philip
ilasterton, Seymour
Sturtevant, Geo. A.

Adriaiice, J. H.
Lewis, J. L. (Serg-t.)
Whitma.n, Frank H.

NAVAL RESERVES.

Babeoc'k, Robert
Cbristie, Chester
Sawyer, Warren L.
Weeks, James

7th N. Y. VOLUNTEERS.

Schuster, C. Henry

Bannister, Clyde
ilcGinley, James

Fluhr, Augustus

Bakhv-in, William

Crawford, Merribt

Peeke, E. C. Benedict

Bleecker, Oapt. A. J.
Diedric'k, Joseph

8th N. Y. VOLUNTEERS.

Slocum, Fred.
Tallman, John H.

U. S. NAVY.

MeMaihon, Thomas
Lieut. Harlowe

9th N. Y. VOLUNTEERS.

Brawley, John

1st NEBRASIvA VOLUNTEERS.

Myers, Otto E.

203d N. Y. VOLUNTEERS.

Knapp, Clyde (Corp.)

ASTOR BATTERY.

Bobbins, N. C.

PHILADELPHIA LIGHT ARTILLERY.

Smith, Harold P. (Corp.)

22d N. Y. VOLUNTEERS.
Huyler, Geo. S.

4Tth N. Y. VOLUNTEERS.
Kuhn, Frank

201st N. Y. VOLUNTEERS.

Moore, Francis V. R.

Is-t VOLUNTEER ENGINEERS.

\\%alen, Matthew

22d U. S. INFANTRY.
Miller, Wdlliam

TROOP A.

Bradley, S. Rowe

398 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

23d U. S. INFANTRY.
Hauseman, Eudolpli (Serg-t.)

42d U. S. INFANTRY.
Sutton, Charles W.

Of those in tlie above named roll two are dead, rorporal Harold
P. Smith and Private AVilliam Baldwin, of the Philadelphia Light
Ai-tillery, contracted a fever in Porto Rico, which grew worse on the
sliip as they came home. Both appeared to be doing well at their homes
here, when Coi-poral Smith grew snddenly worse and unexpectedly died
on Sept. 12, 1898. He had a military funeral and burial, largely
attended and very impressive. Private Baldwin was seriously ill for a
long time, but finally recovered.

Private Charles Sutton enlisted in the Forty-second Regiment in
October, 1900, to do service in the Philippines. He died near Manila,
of dysentery, on March 18, 1901, and his remains were brought to his
home in Nyack, from which place they were taken to the Grerman bury-
ing ground in Clarkstown for intennent.

Private William Miller, of the 22nd Infantry, while on a transport
off Cuba, caught his foot in a tow line and crushed the foot so badly
that amputation was necessary.

N. C. Robbins, of the Astor Battery, was in sevei'al severe engage-
ments in the Philippines, and on one occasion a bullet pierced his cloth-
ing, but he escaped unhurt.

On the afternoon of April 5, 1899, a parade of all the returned sol-
diers took place in Nyack, joined by the firemen and many citizens, and
in the evening a banquet was given them in the Opera House, followed
by speeches.

During the war a Woman's Airxiliary was fonned in Nyack through
the aid of Miss Helen M. Gould, and several soldiers' homes for sick
and convalescent soldiers were opened in this place and continued until
October.

PROTESTANT CHURCHES OF ORANGETOWN.

TAPPAN REFORMED CHURCH.

The Tappan Reformed Church was the first church organization in
Rockland county. The early Dutch settlers of Orangetown had reli-
gious instincts and connections which led them to band themselves

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 399

together for the worsliip of God, aud on October 24, 1694, eight years
after the settlement of the Orangetown patent, tliey organized a society
known as the "Low Dutcli Reformed Chnrch of Tappan." This churcli
body was weak in worldly means, althongli strong in faith, and twenty-
two years elapsed before it possessed an edifice in which to worship. The
I\ev. Ciuilliam Bertholf, who was pastor of the United Churches of
Hackeusack and Acquackanonck, conducted the first services for the
Tappan Church people, and ix'rformed the ministrations of his office for
them. Mr. Bertholf was a native of Holland and came to America as
a school teacher, catechiser and voorleser, which means a leader in sing-
ing, reading of scriptures and prayer. His work covered a large field,
as he was the first regularly installed preacher in the State of New Jer-
sey, and was also the only Dutch pastor in that State dviring the first
fifteen yeai-s of his ministry. His duties consisted of spiritual work fur
all the Dutch people on the west side of the Hudson river as far north
as the southern boundary of Ulster county, and also for those of Staten
Island and Tarrytown. His salaiy in 1717 was £50 a year.

The Tappan congregation grew under Mr. Bertholf's i:)astoi'ute, and
in 1716 they built a church, a square stone edifice, upon the site occupied
by the present church building. The congregation called its first reg-
ular pastor, the Rev. Frederic Muzelius, in 1724, aaid he remained in
charge of this flock for twenty-five years. In 1749 Mr. Muzelius was
relieved from active duty and made pastor emei-itiis. By this time a
large part of the rest of the county had become settled, and the resi-
dents miles north of Tappan formed a separate church organization
under the title of the Low Dutch Christian Refonned Church of New
Hempstead. Three years after this the old (^larkstown church building-
was erected.

The Rev. Samuel Verbryck was called to the Tappan Church on
July 17th, 1750, and in this "call" the Clarkstown Churcli was included.
When he entered upon his duties he did not have a smooth sea ahead
upon which to sail. There was considerable dissension over questions
of church government and Mr. Verbryck found himself in "hot water"
a great part of the time. He; remained in this ]iastorate, however, until
his death, on January 31, 1784, aged 84 years.

The Rev. Nicholas Lansing was the third pastor of the Church, being
called on August 11, 1874. "Dominie Lansing," as he is familiarly

400 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

referred to by tlie descendants of the families of bis time, commanded
the respect of everyone and ^vichlcd a powerful and wide influence. In
1830 Mr. Lansing gave up the ClarkstowTi church and remained in
charge of the Tappan Church until his death, on September 26th, 1835,
aged 87 years.

The Rev. Isaac D. Cole became the next pastor of the Tappan
Church. He was a native of Rockland County, having been born at
New City, on January 25th, 1799. Mr. Cole remained in this chiirch
until February 9th, 1864. He died on August 30th, 1878, at Spring
Valley, aged 79 years. The Rev. George M. S. Blauvelt was pastor of
this church from 1864 until 1882, when he was followed by the Rev.
Williamson. The Rev. M. H. Oliver is the present pastor.

PIERMONT REF0R:MED CHURCH.

The Reformed Church of Piennont was organized on January 27,
1839. The Rev. C. C. Vermiule was stated siipply imtil September,
1842, when the Rev. Cornelius E. Crispell, who is now pastor of the
Refoiined Church at Spring Valley, and celebrated his 82nd birthday
on 'March 14, 1902, was ordained and installed as pastor at Piermont.
This church has had the following pastors: 1842-1847, C. E. Crispell;
1847-1850, Daniel Lord; 1850-1851, J. Romeyn BeiTy; 1852-1855,
Jacob West,; 1857-1859, A. I). Lam-ence Jewett: 1860-1865, Henry E.
Decker; 1865-1871, Augustus F. Todd; 1872-1887, William C. Stitt;
1887-1893, J. Russell Verbryck; 1894-1900, Edward S. Ralston. The
Rev. Dr. Hasbrouck is the present pastor. This church celebrated its
sixtieth annivei-saiy on January 27 and 29th, 1899, ^vith elaborate
services.

PIERMONT M. E. CHTJRCH.

The first Methodist preacher came to Piermont, as near as the rec-
oi'ds show, in the year 1810, and serAnees were held in the .school building
in the evenings of week days. Services were held at different times
after that for years. Those who have searched the records say there is
no knowledge of a distinct Methodist Church society there before 1854.
In the spring of 1857 Piermont was made a regular charge in connec-
tion with the other places, and in 1856 the pi'esent church edifice was

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 401

built, but not in its present condition, as it has been greatly improved
within the last decade, and is now in a flourishing condition — more so,
probably, than ever before since its institution. Among the pastors who
have been sent by conference to this church are the following, from
1882: Rev. C. E. Snyder, 1882; Eev. W. C. Nelson, 1883; Eev. E. V.
King, 1885; Eev. W. W. Vanderhoff, 1888; Eev. E. B. Lockwood,
1891 (for five years); Eev. H. C. Bice, 1896; Eev. S. D. Harris, 1897;
Eev. C. S. Kemble, 1889; Eev. George Angleman, 1900, to the pres-
ent time.

PEESBYTEEIAN CHUECH OF BLAUVELT.

The Presbyterian Church at Blauvelt, known for years as the Green-
bush Presbyterian Church, which name still clings to the organization
through ties of sacred fellowship and association, was organized on the
evening of October 18, 1812. The Eev. Eliphalet Price was appointed
by Presbytery to preach to the congregation on that date and take the
necessary measures to form the church society. The church organiza-
tion was formed with ten members.

The Eev. Andrew Thompson, the first pastor of the chnrch, was
installed in 1814, and was dismissed June 2, 1833. The church society
held their services in the upper room of the Greenbush Academy for
several years. The first church edifice was built of stone and occupied
the site of the present building. It was erected in 1823 and dedicated
January 14th, 1824. Abram G. Blauvelt gave the ground in deed bear-
ing the date May 21st, 1823. This church building was desti'oyed by
fire on September 18th, 1835. A new edifice was erected in 183G and
was dedicated April 5th, 1837. On October 24th, 1882, the second
church building was burned, with the parsonage, and in 1883 the pres-
ent church was built and was dedicated November 27th of that year.

The pastors of this chiu-ch since the Eev. Abram Thompson have
been as follows: Eev. Jared Dening, installed April 24, 1834; dismissed
October 8, 1855. Eev. Thomas J. Evans, stated supply November 12,
1855; installed June 17, 1856, and dismissed in October, 1877. Eev.
Henry E. Decker, supply from October, 1877, till November 11, 1883.
Eev. Charles H. Lester, stated supply till 1884. Eev. Charles S. Hage-
man, D. P., stated supply till July 3, 1887; in his absence Eev. 0. E.
Blauvelt, Ph. D., of Nyack, ofliciating. Rev. Erederic J. Stanley, pas-
tor, called July 24, 1887; installed October 26, 1887, and dismissed

402 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

June 16, 1889. Rev. Hermau A. Goff, stated supply from April 1,
1890, till 1891. Rev. Charles A. Redgrave, pastor, called September
20, 1891; never installed, and resigned May 24r, 1893. Rev. Joseph
McCarrell Leiper, called as stated supply October 2, 1893; called iis
pastor April 4, 1894; installed October 30, 1894, and still pastor of this
church.

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SPARKILL.

The first service in accordance with the rites of the Protestant Epis-
copal Church at Piermont was held in 1847, by the Rev. AVilliam
Walker, in Dr. Lord's lime kiln building. At a meeting of the congre-
gation held at the residence of one of the members on March 1st, 1848,
the Christ Church parish was organized and the articles of incorporation
were filed in the County Clerk's office on April 10, 1848. The Rev.
William Walker resigned in 1848, and the Rev. John C. Sterling suc-
ceeded him. In the fall of 1849 the Rev. Solomon G. Hitchcock suc-
ceeded him.

In 1864 Thomas E. Blanch gave the land on which the present
church stands, the chiu'ch was commenced and on January 20, 1865,
the corner-stone was laid. The building was consecrated September
7th, 1866. The Rev. S. G. Hitchcock continued as pastor imtil his
death, on September 14th, 1877. He was succeeded by the Rev. Joseph
M. Waite, the Rev. Theodore M. Peck and the Rev. F. Ward Denys.
The Rev. Mr. Denys came to the church in 1890, and through his active
work, in which he was heartily aided by members and friends of the
church,, he broiight about many improvements. The church building
was enlarged by the addition of a parish house, which doubled the seat-
ing capacity, and other improvements, both inside and out, were made.
In 1898 the fiftieth anniversary of the church was celebrated with
elaborate and interesting services. Mr. Denys resigned his charge on
account of ill health, and left the church on May 1st, 1899. He is suc-
ceeded by the Rev. Arthur H. Proffit, wdio can-ies on his work very suc-
cessfully.

BAPTIST CHURCH AT PIERMONT.

A Baptist Church was organized at Piennont in 1817, as an aux-
iliary of the Middletowu Church, and continued in that connection until
1839, when the communicants at Piermont were constituted an inde-

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 403

pendent Baptist Church, under tlie name of tlie First Baptist Church of
Pienuont. The Rev. A. M. Toi'bet was pastor of this church until
November, 1842, and he was followed by others until, finally, a few
yeai-s ago, the services closed and the church closed. The last pastor
there was the Rev. E. Crowell, who subsequently removed to Jfyack,
where he I'esided until 1900, when his wife died and he went, at the age
of 82 years, to live with relatives in Massachusetts.

PALISADES M. E. CHURCH.

The Methodist Church at Palisades was built and dedicated in 1832.
The organization of the chiu'ch society here was due to the efforts of
Moses Taylor and his wife, who established a class in 1820, and, through
their influence, with other earnest co-workers, the society grew larger
and stronger. In 1858 the congregation realized the urgent need of a
larger church building, and one was erected in that year. Bishop Janes
dedicated the new edifice on May 15, 1859.

TAPPAN M. E. CHURCH.

A Methodist Church society was formed at Tappan in 1854, and in
185C they purchased the edifice which had been built in 182G for the
True Refonned Church Society. In 1806 the society sold the building
to the German M. E. Society, which soon became very strong.

PALISADES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

The Presbyterian Church of Palisades was formally organized by
the Presb^^ery of New York on October 14th, 1863, and the Rev. J.
Greenleaf, Jr., was installed as pastor on October 21st of that year. The
foundation of the chiu'ch was begim in June, 1863, and in December
of that year the building was completed. The first religious service in
the new building was held January 3rd, 1864.

The pastors have been: Rev. J. Greenleaf, Jr., fi'om October 21,
1863; Rev. John K. Demarest, from October 16, 1866, to February 13,
1870; Rev. Aaron H. Hand, D. D. from October 18, 1870, to Septem-
ber, 1879; Rev. J. W. McUvain, from December 26, 1879, to Septem-
ber 30, 1882; Rev. Newton S. Reed followed, and the Rev. Mr. Ford
is the present pastor.

404 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

NYACK CHUECHES.

Acknowledg-ement is g-iven to K. H. Fenton for the history of the
Nyack Churches. ■

The early settlers of Xyack were mostly of the first and second gen-
erations of Dutch emigrants and they were, like their Puritan neigh-
bors, a religions people. They brought with them their huge, clasped
Bibles and emplanted their rigorous principles in the community, such
as a reverence for the Sabbath and a strict adherence to all the ordi-
nances of the church. The first house of worship, as is shown in another
chapter, was established at Tappan in 1694, and from that time for over
a century it sei'\fed as their objective point and source of attraction each
Sabbath, although it was a long distance away. To reach the religious
services it was necessary for them to travel a distance of about seven
miles in going and another seven to return, but the interest they took
in their church stimulated them to thus travel all through these years.
Occasionally the early domanies would visit the neighborhood, once a
year, at least, and at such times when there were wedding celebrations,
or when called upon to speak words of consolation over the dead, and
sometimes, with a few neighbors gathered together, would exhort to
righteousness those whom they could not otherwise reach. Religion
among the professed Christians in those days was not the light sentiment
it is at the present, but was recognized as bearing the fearful alternative
of eternal misery or ever-lasting joy, to be decided with fear and trem-
bling. Thus the foundations were laid for the high moral standing
of the community at the present time.

Later the church at Clarkstowm was organized and some of the peo-
ple went to that church in pi-eference, but the distance, too, was great.
It continvied so ^^ntil after the beginning of ISOO, when the Baptists
and Methodists began to establish meetings in N^yack. Soon after the
new schoolhouse was built, Elder Daniel Steers, of the Piennont and
Middleto^\^l Baptist Churches, conducted services there occasionally.
At about the same time the Methodist preachers began to itinerate their
circuits along the Hudson, and in 1811 Revs. John Robertson and John
Finley were appointed to the ISTyack circuit.

In 1812 the Presbyterian Church at Greenbush (now Blauvelt) was
organized and several families from Nyack attended service there reg-
ularly. An effort was made in the same year by some of the people of

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 405

JvTyack to have a church organized here in connection with the one in
Clarkstown, lest some other denomination should erect a building and
tlius draw together the supporters of that church. The C'lassis of the
Dutch Eeformed Church refused to grant the request, and it was there-
fore resolved to build a Methodist Church. A lot was secured in Upper
Nyack and through the efforts of William Palmer, Nicholas Williamson
and John Green, the little stone church was built, in 1813.

Notwithstanding the existence of a Methodist Church and the occa-
sional meetings in the schoolhouse, a number of the families adhered to
the Presbyterian Church at Blauvelt, and it is recorded that on January
13th, 1816, a meeting of session was held at Nyack. At that meeting
Joshua Brush, Ann Brush, Robert Hart, Phoebe Hart, John Van
Houten, Catherine Van Houten, Catherine Tallman, Catherine Hub-
l)ard, Susanna Smith, Mary Ramsay and !Mary Sarvent were "admitted
to the privileges of the Lord's Supper." On -January l-ith Isaac Dutcher
and James Springsted were received on pi-ofession of faith. Soon after
this Robert Hart and John Van Houten, Jr., were made Ruling Eldere
in the church at Greenbush. On April 8th, 1816, the "Presbyterian
Society of Nyack" was taken under the care of the Greenbush Church,
by appointment of the Presbytery of Hudson. Rev. Andrew Thompson
was the first pastor of the united congregations, having been installed
about the year 1813. At the time the society was organized, in 1816,
a lot was procured from the DePcw property, and a small stone church
erected on the site still owned by them on Broadway. The ground was
given on the condition that when a building was put up, the Baptists
should be allowed to worship there on alternate Sabbaths, but after a
sliort time Elder Steers died and the Baptist society was dissolved.

In 1830 another church society began to materialize in the com-
munity. The membei-s of the Reformed Dutch at Clarkstown, who
lived in the village, began to grow tired of traveling so far, and not
wishing to unite with the Methodist or Presbyterian, they held services
of their own. These were on Simday afternoons, first in the Presby-
terian Church, then in private houses, and later in the Mansion House.
On June 1st, 1835, they met at the house of Peter Smith, who gave a
lot of ground on which to build. It was deeded to John Lydecker, Tunis
Smith, Abram A. Tallman and Cornelius T. Smith, as trustees. The
builder was Thomas Burd and the cost was a little over $2,000. It was
dedicated May 29th, 1836. The congregation .still remained connected

406 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

with the one at Clarkstown and Rev. Alexander H. Warner preached
here alternately until 1837., when his siiccessor, Rev. Peter J. Quick,
came, and officiated until the following year. On April 24th, 1838, the
congregation was organized into a separate chiu'ch and Rev. Philip
Milledoler Brett was ordained pastor on the 13th of September, 1838.
He was highly spoken of as a scholar and preacher and Christian gentle-
man. While here he had a son. born — Rev. Cornelius Brett — who
became one of the best known ministers of the denomination. Mr.
Brett remained imtil August, 1842, when he ^vithdrew, owing to ill-
health. He died in Brooklyn in 1860, aged 42 years.

His successor was Rev. Charles S. Hageman, who came in 1842. He
was a preacher of great ability and remained for ten years, when he was
called to a larger church at Poughkeepsie. Dr. Hageman, on retiring
from active service, returned to Nyack to live. He died at Riverdale,
N. Y., October 20th, 1901, over 84 years of age.

The third pastor was Rev. Benjamin VanZandt, who was installed
in April, 1853, and resigned in January, 1856, to become principal of
the Rockland Female Institute. He died in 1895, aged about 86 years.

Next came Rev. Daniel Lord. He became pastor March 11th, 1857,
and remained until May 1st, 1860. As a preacher he was original and
theatrical in his style and eloquent in delivery. Dr. Cole, in his descrip-
tion of the Reformed Church pastors, says: "He was fluent and viva-
cious; of a quick nerve, bright temperament, and a magnet to all arovmd
Jiim; and as a preacher he was true to the word, to his master and to
souls." He died September 10th, 1899, at Jordansville, N. Y., in his
own pulpit, in a church to which he had returned the third time as pas-
tor. He was stricken with apoplexy just after he gave out a hymn and
died as he was beginning to sing it with his people.

Next came Rev. Uriah Marvin, and his pastorate laste<l ten years,
from April, 1860, to October, 1870. He was considered a very able
preacher, both in the delivery and in the instructiveness of his sennons.
He died in 1898, aged 83 years.

The sixth pastor was Rev. Henry V. Voorhees, who served from
1870 to 1878. He died in 1897, aged 72 years. Dr. Cole says: "He
will be best rememl)ered for the splendid imagei'y and gorgeous diction
of his sennons and addresses, all written out to the end with the most
stiidious elaboration. As a word painter he was almost without a rival."

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 407

Mr. Voorhees always used written sermons, but the brilliancy of his
eloquence was fully displayed in his extemporaneous addresses.

Following him was Eev. William H. McCorkle, a stated supply from
September, 1878, to April, 1881. Then came as regular pastor Rev.
William Hendee Clark, serving from June, 1881, to May, 1886. Mr.
Clark was very active in his pastoral duties, and is best remembered for
his efforts to promote law and order and morality in the community at
large.

Rev. John Cornelius Van Deventer came next. He was installed
October 6th, 1886, and died November 8th, 1892, at the parsonage.
T)r. Cole speaks of him as "modest in spirit, refined in manner, clear as
a preacher, devoted to his work, he was most dearly beloved by his peo-
ple and will be enshrined in their heai-ts as long as memory lasts." His
death was caused by kidney trouble, having been growing worse for the
past two years. He was 44 years of age.

The church then called Rev. William J. Leggett, who began his
pastorate April 2d, 1893. During many years past the church building
had become in a condition to need extensive repairs, and so, in 1900,
by reason of a generous donation from Mrs. GaiTet Van Nostrand, they
were enabled to build a new chapel, and in 1901 took down the old
frame structure and built in front of the chapel an elegant new brick
church. Rev. Mr. Leggett resigned just before the close of the year.
As a pastor he was faithful to his duties and was held in high esteem,
and as a preacher he expounded the pure gospel, always avoiding the
sensational. He had a fine deliveiy and as an extemporaneous speaker
he was forceful and eloquent.

The new edifice of the Reformed people is a fine building and has
a large, heavy tower on the northeast corner, in which is a town clock
with illuminated dials, an improvement over the former one that the old
building contained. The church is an ornament to the town and well
pei-petTiates the memory of Mrs. Garret Van Nostrand, whose husband
was formerly one of the leaders in the official membership of the organ-
ization. A new organ was also placed in the auditorium. It was the
work of Michael A. Clark, the well known organ builder, and cost
$3,000. The new church was dedic<atcd on the evening of March 26th,
1902, Rev. J. Preston Scarle, D. D., of New Brunswick Seminaiy,
preaching the sermon.

408 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

In 1S34 a change ocenrrecl in tlie pastorate of tlie Presbyterian
Churcli by the retirement of Rev. Andrew Thompson, and Rev. Jared
Dewing taking his place. Of the first pastor, Mr. Thompson, who was,
for so many years, a familiar visitor in the scattered homes of the little
community, much might be said in regard to his high qualifications for
the ministry; his gentlemanly bearing, Christian virtues and ability in
the puljjit. Hon. J. W. Ferdon speaks of him as "a man of imposing
manners, with a mind of superior natural power, highly cultivated,
which made him strong in the pidpit;" and in describing him and Rev.
Mr. Wyukoop, of the Hempstead Church, says that "when they joined
in a contest of mind with mind, as they often did, in the temperance and
Bible societies, they each drew blades as keen and polished and pliant
as those of Damascus."

In 1839 the stone church was taken down and a larger frame build-
ing erected. In 183S the Baptists made a second effort, this time under
the lead of Elder Griffeth, to establish a congregation, but did not suc-
ceed. In 18-1:2 the Methodists, having flourished so well, built a new
frame church on Picrmont avenue, and ten years later began support-
ing pastors of their own. The first pastors of the church were: W.
Robertson, 1853; Benjamin Day, 1854; A. L. Brice, 1856; J. N. Felch,
1858; R. B. Yard, 1859; James Ayres, 1861; R. B. Lockwood, 1863;
B. O. Parvin, 1865; Solomon Parsons, 1867; S. H. Opdyke, 1869; S.
B. Rooney, 1871; C. E. Little, 1872. The later appointments to this
clnirch were: Revs. S. H. Baldwin, Elbert Clement, W. S. Gallaway,
J. R. Daniels, William Day, E. P. Hammond, C. S. Woodruff, J. I. Bos-
well, E. C. Dutcher, J. B. Taylor, J. H. Egbert and C. S. Kemble.

Among this long list of ministers Rev. A. L. Brice ser\'ed for a long
time in the later years of his life as a Presiding Elder. Rev. R. B. Yard
served as chaplain of a regiment in the early part of the Rebellion. Rev.
B. O. Parvin, while here, conducted revival meetings, which were
attended with more than usual success, and the congregation grew much
larger while he and his successor. Rev. S. Parsons, remained. Rev. S. B.
Rooney was best remembered for the ability of his sermons. Rev. S. H.
Baldwin had been a missionary to China previous to his coming to
Nyack, and went there again later. Rev. J. Reeves Daniels was perhaps
the best example of an active, outspoken Methodist minister of the
entire list. Rev. William Day while here originated the ciistom for the
churches of the village to unite in welcoming a new pastor coming to

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 409

either of the churches by closing their own places of worship on the first
Sunday evening. This custom has been carried out since 1880. Rev.
C. S. Woodruff was an earnest exponent of the AVord, and Rev. J. I.
Boswell combined both dc])th of thought and clearness of expression,
which made him entertaining as a preacher. The present pastor, Rev.
Charles S. Kemble, may properly be classed among the best the church
has had. He was appointed in April, 1900.

In 1841 the Presbyterians dissolved their connection with the Green-
bush Church at Blauvelt and became a separate organization. Rev.
Jared Dewing, who had been their pastor seven years, still remained
with the Grecnbush church, while the congregation here called as pastor
Rev. Charles M. Oakley, and he remained biit two years. During this
time the membership, which started with 75, reached 120 or more. The
next pastor was Rev. Joseph Penny, who remained about three and a
half years, and was followed by Rev. Isaac S. Davison, in 1847. After
a pastorate of five years, at a salary of $500 and parsonage, he was suc-
ceeded by Rev. Joseph Cory, whose salary was raised to $600. Mr.
Davison is mentioned as an "excellent preacher, a faithful pastor and a
sincere Christian." For a period of fourteen years the Rev. Joseph
Cory occupied the pulpit. He was a good pastor and had many friends;
but for a season during these years the church did not prosper as it
should, owing to the bitterness of political strife then agitating the coun-
try and which entered into and divided many churches. In 18G7 the
Presbytery dissolved the relations between Mr. Cory and the church,
and a call was soon after extended to Rev. Francis L. Patton. Dr. Pat-
ton was then a yoimg man of 26, having been a pastor but two years.
He remained about three yeai*s and a half, during which time he im-
proved rapidly and eventually reached the high goal of his ambition^
the Presidency of Princeton University. The career of Dr. Patton is too
well kiio^ai to reqiiire further mention on these pages, but we \rill give a
personal description of him, as found in the history of the great heresy
ti-ial of Prof. Swing, when Dr. Patton was spoken of as the "modern
Calvin." It says: "He is every iota the bookman, the introspective
student. He is young — not over 35 years of age; his features are regiilar
and his form erect" . . . "In conversation he is witty, quick and
pleasant." . . . "His use of language is superb and his delivery
clear, distinct and elegant." . . "When he becomes worked up in his

410 HISTORY OF ROCKI.AND COUNTY,

theme he speaks with a fluency and earnest vehemence that is remark-
able and commands attention from all within the sound of his voice."
Rev. Charles L. Thompson, D. D., gives the following pen picture of
him: "A tall, slender, straight young man, looks directly at you tlu-ough
a pair of spectacles, and announces his text in clear, positive tones, that
at once suggests deep convictions. He is so very thin he looks uncom-
fortably frail, but he comes down on his text with a solid emphasis that
indicates no disposition to spare the flesh. He has no notes. There is
no introduction to his sermon. He plunges straight into the argument
in phrases far enough from stilted, and in clear-cut prepositions which
are far enough from dullness. His tone is conversational. His manner
is exceedingly frank and manly and his process of thought logical
and vmhalting." .... "The thoughts succeed each other in
such bright movement no attention can flag, and when he suddenly
closes you realize that you have got quite a body of divinity to medi-
tate upon."

Dr. Patton's successor was Rev. Andrew McElroy Wylie, who came
at a salary of $2,000, and the parsonage was enlarged to accommodate
him. He had been an Episcopal minister for twelve years previous to
his coming to Nyack. He is described as a man of strong intellect and
was possessed of extensive knowledge, and his sermons were instructive
and generally extemporaneously delivered. His death occurred at New-
ton, Pa., in the 60tli year of his age.

Mr. Wylie resigned in 1877, and Rev. George H. Wallace was
ordained and installed in October, 1877. He remained about three years
and a half, during which time, by his activity in pastoral work, the con-
gregation grew larger than ever before. As a pulpit orator he was fluent
and interesting and a general favorite among the younger portion of
the congTegation. His salary was $1,200 and the use of the parsonage.

Rev. John Elway Lloyd came in 1880 and remained seven years.
He was a native of Wales and formerly preached to a Welsh congTe-
gation in New York city. He was an able preacher and profoimd
scholar. Plis sermons were of a high order and without exception extem-
poraneous; and the large congregations which attended during his pre-
decessor's term were maintained and increased during his seven years
stay. He was followed by Rev. Thomas McBride Nichols, a young

TOWN OB* ORANGETOWN. 411

graduate of Union College, who came in 1889, and Kev. J. A. Davis,
in 1893.

The celebrated Eev. Samuel D. Burchard supplied the pulpit three
months during 1889, in the interval beween the call to Mr. Nichols and
the time for him to begin his pastorate. Mr. Nichols resigned in 1893,
after having cleared the church from a heavy debt and burned the mort-
gage. Dr. Burchard v^ras one of the most powerful preachers of his time,
and although far advanced in years while here, he had not lost much of
his eloquence and vigor. He had occupied the pulpit many times dur-
ing the past seven years previous to this supply, and already seemed as
familiar a fonn as if he had been a regular pastor.

On the 24th of September, 1897, the church met with a great loss
in the sudden death of Rev. John A. Davis. Differing from all the pre-
\nous pastors of the church, he was an evangelist and an untiring worker,
not only among his own congregation, but throughout the town, and his
death was a loss to the whole community. As a preacher he was pos-
sessed of that magnetic power which attracts people and holds their
closest attention. He was always extemporaneous, and his words were
simple, yet they gave evidence of a mind well stored with knowledge;
and his familiarity with all branches of learning and political events of
the time was surjirising. Mr. Davis had been a missionary to China and
was author of several books pertaining to that country, the best known
of which was "The Young Mandarin."

The church building, which had been enlarged in 1872, was again
enlarged in 3 899, and almost wholly made new under the lead of liev.
Robert H. Herron, who became pastor the previous year.

The Ruling Elders of this church since its organization have been
as follows: Robert Hart, John VanHouten, Jr., Gan-et Tallman, Tunis
Smith, Daniel Brady, Peter A. Smith, Dr. William Johnson, John J.
Ackerson, Daniel M. Clark, Francis Powley, T. DePew Tallman, Isaac
Dutehcr, Daniel D. Demarest; William H. Jersey, Seth B. Cole, Samuel
II. Doughty, Henry C. Bro-svn, George G. DeWitt, Merritt E. Sawyer,
O. R. Eliorthwick, Charles E. Smith, M. Watson DeBaun, Victor Acker-
man, Edmund Hyatt, John A. Sickles, Eugene F. Perry, Williiim Keen-
holts and Louis L. Robbins.

Sunday schools, too, have existed from an early date, as the effec-
tive auxiliaries of the churches. Miss Sally Hart, daughter of Robert

412 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Hart, the Presbyterian Elder, was the pioneer in Sunday school work.
She started the little class at her home, or in the little sclioolhouse near
the ontlet of Voorhis' brook, Picnnont avenne, and from that the Pres-
byterian Sunday school has continued until now. It was somewhere
about the time the stone church was built. Other Sunday schools fol-
lowed and the existence of the churches to-day is owing to these nurse-
ries of religious thought.

The fourth church established in Nyack was the Baptist. After
several failures they at last, in 1854, succeeded in maintaining an organ-
ization by the efforts of Rev. Joseph W. Griifith. A society was formed
with thirteen members and meetings were held in Union Hall, continu-
ing for some time until the church was built, in 1856. The lot had
been previously purcliased by Rev. J. W. Griffeth, William Miller,
John V. Burr, William Enemy, Jeremiah Youmans and A. P. Camp-
bell. The first jiastor was Rev. G. P. Martin. He ^ras followed in 1857
by Rev. T. T. Devan, an eloquent preacher, who held the position for
over five years. The third pastor was Rev. B. H. Benton, who stayed
a year and a half. Then came Rev. Frederick Greaves, in 1865, remain-
ing two years. He was a very earnest preacher and worker, and the
membership gTcatly increased during that period. Next came Rev. J.
W. Frazcr, in 1867, and R. T. Middleditch, in 1868. In 1868 Do-
minie Greaves returned and preached imtil 1873, whicli was the only
instance where a pastor returned to a Nyack churcli after lie had once
left it. Mr. Greaves, a few years aftenvards, left the Baptist denomi-
nation and entered the Episcopal, which is also the only instance of its
kind in Nyack church history up to that date. The next pastors were
Rev. N. B. Thompson, 1873; Rev. J. Ivennard Wilson, 1876; Rev. J.
G. Shrive, 1877.

During tliese years the church but slowly grew, owing to the lack
of finances, yet many able clei'gymen seiwed its pxilpit. In 1879, how-
ever, it awoke from its sleep as if by magic. Rev. Josiah H. Gunning,
M. D., accepted the call to become its pastor, and during the follow-
ing three years the congregation became too large to be accommodated
in the small cluu'ch building. A new brick edifice was then ei'ccted.
Never before in the history of Nyack had such success attended any
preacher. A large addition to the membcrsliip roll lind also been

TOWN OF ORANGETOWN. 413

secured, which, strange to say, was even surpassed by Dr. Gunning's
successor during the same length of time.

After remaining about three years. Dr. Gunning resigned and the
congregation extended a call to Rev. John L. Campbell, of Canada.
This venture was only on the uncertainties of the judgment of one who
gave him a "high recommendation," but it was a lucky venture, for the
new pastor proved to be one of the most eloquent of all Nyack's pulpit
orators and an excellent pastor. After remaining about as long as Dr.
Gunning, he was called to the Lexington Avenue Church, New York
city. The succeeding pastors were: Eev. Eugene E. Thomas, 1888;
Rev. J. B. McCiillough, 1889; Rev. Edwin M. Saunier, 1892; Rev. S.
J. Skevington, 1900.'

As Nyack village grew in population new churches were organized,
until at the iwesent time almost every denomination is represented. In
18C0 the African M. E. Church was built for the colored people, through
the assistance of John W. Towt and George Green, two of Nyack's
wealthiest citizens. It stood on Burd street and a new and larger church
was aftei-wards built, a short distance higher up. A Sunday school was
also started about this time in Lower Nyack by Mrs. Hester Onderdouk,
and in 1869 a stone chapel, costing $5,000, was dedicated and a union
Sunday school has since been held there, with occasional preaching ser-
vices. It is known as the Wayside Chapel. In 1861 the first Episcopal
services were held in Nyack regularly, and in 1862 Grace Chapel was
built through the efforts of Eev. Eranklin Babbitt, the first rector of
the parish. About the same time Universalist meetings were held in
Nyack and some time after 1870 a frame building was finished for them
on Broadway. Their congregation has always remained small. The
Rev. J. Riley Johnson served them a much longer time than any of the
other pastors. He resigned in 1901, but continues to supply the pulpit.

The Methodists, about in 1875, adopted the name of "St. Paul's M.
E." They also bought a lot on Broadway for a new church. The foun-
dation was built, but the society was unable to continue the work and
it was sold. Some time later they purchased the property comer of
Broadway and Division avenue and erected a chapel, with the expecta-
tion of having a new church on the corner at some future time.

The Episcopalians, after using their chapel several years, built a
fine new stone church on the grounds comer of Eirst avenue and

414 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Franklin street, leaving the tower unfinished. Their motto was, "Pay
as you go along," which other societies might do well to imitate. Their
idea was to complete the tower at some future day and place chuues
therein. At this time (1902) Rev. Franklin Babbitt is still the rector.
.He has had assistants, among whom were: Revs. Charles Seymour, F.
Greaves and Ralph Pomeroy.

The Gennan Presbyterians were the seventh religious society to
organize. They held meetings for some time imder the lead of Rev.
A. Shabehom, and their church on Frauklin street, was built in 1889.
Their pastors have been Rev. A. Shabehom; Gustave Schmnaker, 1888;
Albert Wirth, 1891; A.'Pape, 1893. Their present pastor is Rev. J.
Jenson.

A second church society by the colored people, called the Pilgrim
Baptist Church, has been struggling for existence a long time with hopes
of ultimate success. They meet in a room above a blacksmith shop on
Main street.

The German Lutherans, under charge of Rev. Mr. Franks, started
meeting's here soon after the German Presbyterians commenced, and
a small house of worship was dedicated in 1898. It stands on Park
street. Rev. H. F. R. Steeholz is the minister in'charge.

In 1901 a Congregational Church was formed in Central Xyack by
the society of the "West Nyack Chapel" Sunday school, after having
regular supplies from among the clergy of the village for a long time.
This action was taken by reason of the indisposition of the various pas-
tors to continue the work since the death of Rev. J. A. Davis. The first
temporary pastor was Rev. C. B. MacDuffee, and a permanent pastor
was secured in the person of Rev. H. A. G. Abbe.

At the present time (1902) there are eleven societies in ISTyack hav-
ing buildings of their own and sustaining pastors; there are also two
church societies not owning houses, but having occasional services; and
two evangelical Sunday schools having buildings of their own. There
is also the Christian and Missionary Alliance,with its Institiite, annual
conventions, and gospel mecting-s in the ^'^llage. The Salvation Anny,
too, has sojourned in the place. Truly, Xyack is a village of churches.

ROBERT H. FENTON.

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 415

CHAPTEE XVIII.
TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN.

By Robert H. Fenton.

The town of Cl.arkstown was formed from Haverstraw on March 18,
1701. It occiipies the east central part of the county and contains about
thirty-six square miles, or 24,091 acres, nearly all tillable land, with a
water front on the Hudson of over five miles. It is bounded on the north
by Haverstraw township; on the east by the Hudson river; on the south
by Orangetown, and on the west by Ramapo. The surface of the town
is hilly for the most part \vith some swamp lands and streams of water
'vvinding' through and emptying into the Hackensack river below and in
the Sparkill creek at Piermont. The Hackensack river has its main
source in Rockland Lake, in this township, and gradually widens as it
flows south, being fed by smaller streams. The principal villages are
Vf est Nyack, Upper Nyack, Central Nyack, Nanuet, New City, Congers
and Rockland Lake. There are also a number of smaller villages, ham-
lets and neighborhoods known as Valley Cottage, Bardonia, Strawtown,
Centenary, Quasbec, the Dutch Factory, Mosestown and Snedeker's
Landing.

A small portion of the township seems geogTaphically set apart
from the rest, and that is the incorporated district of Upper Nyack,
being bounded on the west by the mountains that wind around from
Verdreitege toward the Nyack turnpike and lying along the river. This
extends about one mile and a half in length and half a mile back from
the shore. Sheltered from the cold Avinds of winter the Nyack Indians, a
small chieftaincy akin to the Tappan tribe at the time of the discovery,
had their "long house," or village, here, while their trails led in various
directions, and particularly along the bank of the river, south. The In-
dians have also left signs in other parts of Clarksto-mi of their occupancy,
by the stone implements found on the sand hills along the Hackensack
and elsewhere. These relics have mostly been gathered and yet, no
doubt, there are many still to be found hidden under the soil. They con-
sist of stone axes, tomihawks, corn-crackei-s, hammer stones, scrapei-s.

416 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

pieces of pottery, fragments of ccremomal stones, club balls, spear and
arrow heads, and numberless other stones which puzzle experts as to the
particular use for which they were fashioned.

The town derives its name from a family of the old settlers who
came within its present limits in the earliest years of the white men's
permanent occupancy. These were three brothers of the de Clcrque
family — Jacob, Daniel and Peter — who came to this country from
France and settled in New Holland (now New York city) in about the
year 1625 or 1630. The three brothers came to this county in 1686 and
purchased land which is now a large part of Clarkstown. It is recorded
that a party of five, among whom was Daniel DeClark, purchased the
lower part of the Kakiat patent. In 1716 DeClark's property was di-
vided and part of it sold. At one of these sales, held in 1764, the prop-
erty is described as being in Clarkstown. This is the earliest record
found in which the name of Clarkstown appears.

The orthogi'aphy of the family name gradually changed with each
succeeding generation. First from de Clerque, which is pure French, to
De Clerck; then to De Clark, and in later years some of the descendants
left off the De altogether and brought it do\vn to the plain and simple
name of Clark.

Several of the eai-ly land grants covered portions of Clarksto^vn.
One was the extensive Kakiat patent; another the Quaasbeck or Pond
patent, and the Lancaster Symes tract, and besides these more extensive
ones, others of the Holland pioneers extended their possessions into
Clarkstown. The second purchase by Harmaunus Dows reached over
the hills, and so did the real estate ventures of Capt. Comelison Claessen
Kuyper, the son of Claus Jansen, who bought the firet land in ISTyack.

The descendants of the Clark family were not very numeroiis there-
after and other names prevailed throughout the township. In about the
year 1800 the Smiths, who were descendants of Lammert Anentse, took
the lead of any others in number; next to these came the Blauvelts,
whose ancestors spelled their name Gerritson when they landed, and the
Tallmans. The Blauvelts and the Tallmans were about even in number.
The name of Onderdonk ranked foiu-th, closely followed by the Polhe-
mus' and the Vanderbilts. The names of Stevens, or Stephens, and Van
Houten came next in order.

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 417

Among the most prominent pereons who have lived in CIarksto\vn
within the last half centniy were Hon. Hugh Maxwell, Collector of the
Port, whose daiighter eloped with Gen. Phil. Kearney ; Hon. Abram P.
Stephens, Kockland's only Member of Congress for many years; Hon.
Moses G. Leonard, of the Knickerbocker Ice Co. ; Hon. Abram B. Con-
ger, State Senator; Col. Edward Pye, County Judge, killed at battle of
Cold Harbor; John McGinnis, the founder of Congers; William F.
Eraser, County Judge, and Capt. Wilson Defendorf, who served in the
Rebellion. In earlier times Sheriff Ebenezar Wood was a leading and
useful citizen of the town for many years; and Daniel Harmanus Blau-
velt, whose religious zeal and original methods as an evangelist are so
well described in Dr. Cole's genealogical record. These all belong to
the past. Of the more notable citizens of a later date we shall not at-
tempt to name lest many omissions may be made, unintentionally, of
those who feel they deser\'e a place in the list. Siiffice to say the fami-
lies of Demarest, Haring, Hutton, Bogert, Blauvclt and DeBevoise are
among those who have produced many prominent and useful citizens and
l^ublic officials.

During the last fifty years the Germans have established themselves
throughout Clarkstown in large numbers. The most noteworthy of those
from Northern Europe have been Gen. Louis Blenker, who ser\'ed in the
Eebollion; Major Christian Deitszh, Elorent Verdin, a native of France;
Rudolph Lexow, a journalist, and his son, Hon. Clarence Lexow.

In the various wars in which our nation has been engaged — the Rev-
olution, the war of 1812, the gTeat Rebellion and the Spanish-Amcric^an
war — the town of Clarkstown has always furnished her just proportion
of recniits, not alone in response to the call t« diity, but with patriotic
zeal and enthusiasm, and in sacrifice, as the memorial records show.
ClarkstoAvn during the Revolution was so situated as to escape the more
stirring scenes enacted in the adjoining towns. The most important
events were the passing of American troops back and forth. Along the
old King's Highway, between Haverstraw and Tappan, are the foot-
prints of gTeat men — from Washington and Lafayette down to those
local heroes whose homes were hereabouts, and who were constantly on
the alert for the advance of British forces and the doing's of the more
detestable tories infesting the lower part, of the county. Thei-e were a
number of skinnishes in various parts, several of which were on the river

418 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

front at Upper ISTyack and Rockland Lake, in wliicli the British were
Leaten off in their attempts to land for the pnqiose of pillage.

In the passing of troops along the King's Highway through the town
there was one scene that invites particular notice. It was when the un-
fortunate Major Andre, in the custody of a squad of cavalry, was riding
from Stony Point to Tappan. He had just been questioning Major Tall-
mage as to what would be done with him as a prisoner, and it had been
intimated to him that his fate would be that of a spy. No wonder then
that his heart sank and his thoughts were troubled as he journeyed
silently along the remainder of tlie route and that he failed to appreciate
the glories of the early autumn as the golden leaves were beginning to
blend with the amaranth of the surroimding landscape.

During these years of the Revolution the people were in constant
fear of depredations from the enemy. Various incidents might be told
of raids in which cattle were driven off, and where patriots unable to
offer resistance were earned away prisoners. On one of these occasions,
Dec. 14, 1777, a party from an armed vessel landed at Slaughter's Land-
ing (Rockland Lake) and came as far as "Snedeker's pond" before a suf-
ficient force could be brought together to drive them back. They plun-
dered the house of Abraham Thew and canied him away prisoner with
several others; and also drove away some cattle, which they killed on
the shore and took out to the vessel.

Another incident relates to Adrian Onderdonk, who lived a mile
north of Nanuet, (on the place owned later by his great-grandson, John
'N. Gesner). One day while home Mr. Onderdonk saw a troop of cavalry
riding rapidly down the road towards his house. They were clothed in
that kind of suit introduced by Cromwell into the English army, and so,
of course, they were supposed to be a squad of British "red coats." On-
derdonk did not stop to risk capture but darted out of the door and sped
with hot haste down to the swamp west of the house. The hoi"semen
oarae iip to the barnyard gate, which was fastened by a rope. The leader
drew his sword and cut it and the gate swung open and they rode in.
"Who lives here?" cried a gruff voice. Mrs. Onderdonk came ovit and
told them. "Who was that man we saw running away just now?" the
leader asked. "That was my husband," replied the woman. "Is he for
the King's cause or a rebel?" continued the leader. "He is for his coun-
try's liberties," exclaimed Mrs. Onderdonk, fearlessly. "Then what did

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 419

lie want to run for," said the leader, with an oath to emphasize his
words, and the party rode away as fast as they had come. It proved
to he a number of patriots clad in uniforms captured from the British.

Onderdonk afterward participated in the Eattle of Stony Point,
and while absent his bam was visited by Tories, who stole harness and
other articles.

In the war of 1812 the militia law was such that eveiy able bodied
man belonged to that branch of service; and Clarkstowii, therefore, fur-
nished a larger number for defense according to its population, than in
any other war. The company to which they belonged was commanded
by Captain Jacob I. Blauvelt, of the S3rd Regunent, N. G. S. M. This
company, numbering seventy-one men, met at Blauveltville, September
3rd, 1814, and marched to Piermont, where they embarked on a sloop
for ISTew York. They passed most of their time in camji at Harlem
Heights, until they were discharged, November 29th, 1814.

When the war with Mexico commenced a company of cavalry was
formed, in which this town took a leading part. It was known as the
"Eockland County Rangers." Its first oiRcers were: Captain, Isaac
Pye; First Lieutenant, Charles M. Oblenis; Second Lieutenant, Edward
Pye. Soon afterwards Edward Pye became Colonel of the 17th Regi-
ment, to which the Rangers belonged; Isaac Pye, Major, and Charles
M. 0])leni8, Captain of the Rangers. Thus officered the regiment re-
mained until the commencement of the Rebellion. Captain Oblenis
afterwards enlisted in the Fifth Cavalry in New York city, and served
in Virginia.

Of those who served in the Rebellion, the following list will give,
as near as can be ascertained, the names of residents of Clarkstown who
volunteered and the regiments in which they joined. This record does
not comprise those who came in the town subsequently, having enlisted
elsewhere, and have since claimed residence here:

In the 17th N. Y. Volunteers — Towt J. Waldron, Edgar N. Wal-
dron, Can-oil S. Waldron, Henry M. Wood, George Hyer, Irving D.
Smith, Daniel Tnimper.

In the 6th N. Y. Heavy Artillery — Jacob E. Yoimians, James K.
Locke, Andrew ISTeilor, J. W. Moore, George H. Phillips, George B.
Sutherland, Charles Meissner, Jr., William Campbell, William Dickey,
William H. Hartwick.

420 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

In the 95th ]S^. Y. Vohintccrs— Mansfiehl Smith, William II. Blau-
velt, James Comelison, Peter D. Bevoise, William Cornelison, John
Phillips, Jacob J. Rose, Garret Pose, Jacob Van Orden, John H. Smith,
Richard Smith.

In the 48th X. Y. Volunteers — Abrani M. Rose, William F. Wood,
]Sre\\i:on Sears, Samuel A. Youmans, David Bogert, Benjamin Seal's,
John Sears.

In the 127th X. Y. Volunteers — William Ilolliday, John D. Oak-
ley, Charles Rodgers, James Tompkins.

In the 34th X. J. Volunteers — Francis Meissuer.

In the 128th X. Y. Volunteers — William Conlon, James II. Ondcr-
donk, Edwin J. Blauvelt, Isaac W. Blauvelt, Isaac E. Pye, Richard M.
S. Tallman.

In the 124th X. Y. Volunteers — John Barnes.

In the 12th X. Y. Volunteers — -David I. Brown.

In the 9th X. Y. Volunteers — John L. Snediker.

In the 25th R.'I. Volunteers — William Brown (colored).

In the 3rd Cavalry — John L. Brown.

In the 14th R. I. Vohmteers — Richard Cisco (colored), John X.
Miller (colored).

In the 13th Heavy Artillery — James Hill.

In the 26th X. Y. Volunteers — Benjamin Samuels (colored), Sam-
uel Gulfield (colored).

In the 1st Cavalry — James Vanderbilt.

In the 8th X. Y. Volunteers — Louis Blenker, Colonel, and after-
wards Brigadier-General.

In 1st Regiment Sharpshooters — DePew R. Swartwout.

In 33rd X. J. Volunteers — Dominick Babcock.

In the 91st X. Y. Volunteers — Charles F. Ingalls.

In the 135th X. Y. Volunteei-s — Romaine H. Smith.

In the Xavy — Charles De Bevoise, Sylvester Gesner, Jr., James
M. Paul.

In other regiments or service — Leonard Felter, John W. Locke.

The above list shows sixty-six names, but we do not claim it is per-
fect. According to the State census, the town furnished seventy-four
men for the Rebellion, of whom the greatest number enlisting in any
regiment was in the 6th X. Y. Heavy Artilleiy. Another record gives

TOWN OF CIvARKSTOWN. 421

eighty-three as the number from Clarkstoavii. As near as can be deter-
mined, there were six killed, five wounded and seven died from wounds
or illness. The killed were Samuel A. Youmans, William Dickey, Wil-
liam H. Hartwick, Leonard Felter, William Halley and Benjamin dears.

In the history of those who served in the Rebellion from Clarkstown
the record of a large number of brothers from one family is worthy of
particular mention. There were four Waldrons who went to fight for
their country, and five Rose brothers, but the record of the Sears brothers
takes the lead, as they were six in number, and though their places of
enlistment were not all in Clarkstown, this town claims in them to have
produced the greatest nimiber anywhere in the countiy. Their names
were: Bjenjamin, Frank, Moses, Newton, James and John.

As but few volunteers were required during the Spanish-American
War out of a population the size of Clarkstown, only a few enlisted.
Among those who were in ser\-ice were: Rudolph Hausennan (in reg-
wlai aiiny), James G. Conklin and Edward Green.

To get at the names more completely of the early free-holdere of
Clarkstown, we here present the assessment roll for the year 1787. An
act of the Legislature for the raising of moneys by tax was passed April
11th, 1787, and warrants were given to Major John Smith for the col-
lection of the same in the "district of Clarkstown," by the Supervisors
of Haverstraw precinct: David Pye, W. Thompson and John II.
Ilogenkamp:

Inhabitant's. Real Estate Persn'l State County

Estate. Tax. Tax.

£ £ s. £ s. d. £ s. d.

Resolvert R. Van Houten. . . 200 72 15 2 5 G 0 11 10

Peter Blauvelt 200 79 5 2 6 6 0 12 1

Claus V. John Van Houten.. 180 76 10 2 2 11 0 11 2

Roelif Van Houten 80 76 10 0 13 4 0 3 5^

Peter St«vense 158 88 10 2 10 0 10 s"

Abraham Stevense 52 10 15 0 10 6 0 2 8^

Abram DePew 195 92 15 2 7 10 0 12 5

Johanias DePew 23 10 0 3 11 0 10

Philip Keasler 90 23 10 0 18 10 0 4 10|

Abraham Garrison, Jr 50 21 5 0 11 10 0 3 l"

Eli Eagleton 50 6 10 095 025

422

HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY

Inhabitants. Real Estate. Persn'l

Estate.

^ £ £ s.

Major John Smith 250 133 15

William Bell 3 15

"William Ackei-man ' 22 10

Daniel Vansickles 1210

Jacob Secaur 3 10

Thomas Howard 9 10

Ilannanus Kaesler 17 5

William Kenipe S 5

Benjamin Knapp 6 5

Joseph Knapj) 19 5

Johanias Springsteel 25 5

Gilbert. Wilson 25 22

Samuel Springsteel 25 18 5

Adrian Onderdonk 151 48 5

John Thew 210 81 15

Thunis Snedeker 250 123 5

Samuel Yeomans 60 50 5

Gan-et Snedeker 270 59 5

Abraham Storm 7 5

Johanias DeVries 270 168 10

John DeGraw 21 5

Theodorus Snedeker 310 108 5

Derick Swartwout 494 55 5

James Paid 10 10

Abraham Thew 500 285 10

Conradt Gavestine 3 10

Captain John Felter 3 10

Joseph DeClark 115 34 15

Uriah Hoffman 40 18 10

William Felter, Jr SO 14 15

Uriah Perry 26 10

William Hoffman 60 29 10

Elizabeth Hoffman, widow... 60 22 10

Nathaniel Barmore 75 14 10

John Coleman 280 90 10

State

County

Tax.

Taj

101

TOWN OF CI^ARKSTOWN. 423

Inhabitants. Real Estate. Persn'l State County

Estate. Tax. Tax.

£ £ s. £ s. d. £ s. d.

Johanias Felter 50 28 5 0 13 0 0 3 5^

Johauiiis Bamsoii 160 50 15 1 15 2 0 9 1^

Derick Vanderbelt 144 42 15 1 11 0 0 S 1

John Bamson 100 30 5 118 0 5 7^

Peter Felter 75 26 10 0 16 11 0 4 4^

Titus Polhemus 210 50 10 2 4 10 0 11 8

Peter Snyder 60 31 15 0 15 4 0 3 11^

Abraham J. Polhenuis 3115 054 01 4^

Jacob Polhemus 210 27 10 1 19 7 0 10 s""

Abraham Blauvelt 148 35 15 1 10 8 0 8 0

Samuel Yeomans, Jr 32 15 0 5 6 0 1 5^

John Town, Jr 11 5 0 1 10 0 0 5^

John To\vn 74 28 5 0 17 0 0 4 5^

George Douglas 3 5 00 6 0 0 1^

John Johnston 115 12 15 114 0 5 6^

Andrew Vanorden 16 15 0 2 8 0 0 8

Aury Campbell 65 21 5 0 14 4 0 3 SJ

Abraham J. Polhemus 80 31 5 0 18 6 0 4 9^

Hugh Gillan 7 5 012 0 0 3^

Geirtre Mannel, widow 114 33 5 14 6 0 6 4^

Casparus Westervelt 135 35 5 18 4 0 7 4^

Albert Stevense 190 49 10 1 19 11 0 10 5"

Derukye Snyder 6 3 10 0 1 6 0 0 4-J

Jacob Counseler 3 10 0 0 6 0 0 l|

Abraham Snyder 40 28 15 0 11 6 0 2 5^

Barbary Snyder 170 10 5 1 10 0 0 7 9|

Ebenezer H. Wood 12 5 0 2 0 0 0 6"

John Eyder 600 143 5 6 3 10 112 8

Eobert Eyder 62 55 15 0 19 8 0 5 1

Doctor John Farrand 130 64 15 1 12 4 0 8 5

Gan-ct Myer 90 31 15 1 0 4 0 5 3^

William Felter 150 46 15 112 8 0 8 6

Hendrick Vanorden 6 18 10 041 Oil

Richard Fillpot 4 008 002

Major John L. Smith 184 59 10 2 0 6 0 10 6|

424

HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY

Inhabitants.

Real Estate. Persn'l

State

County

Captain Amy Smith 174

Jeremiah Williamson 110

Henry Palmer 168

Benjamin Knapp 128

GaiTct Sarvant 100

Ilarmanus Tolman 100

Thunis H. Tolman 90

Elinor Myer, \\'iclow 40

John Myer 40

Abraham Tolman 120

Thnuis Tolman 205

Thunis Tolman, Jr 110

Peter Tolman 60

Joseph Blanvclt 5

Garret Smith 10

Isaac Smith 31

Cornclins Blauvelt 20

Johanias Vandolison 60

Hai-ma I). Tolman 190

John Tolman 230

Dowe Tolman 230

Tlumis D. Tolman 82

Dowe J. Tolman

Gershom Jacobs 2

Joshna Brnsli

Ilngh Fathergill 11

Anrt Polhemiis 265

Isaac Dntcher 35

Daniel Martine 350

Jacob Tinkie 105

Captain Derick Vanderbelt. . 142

Derick Vanderbelt, Jr 50

Peter Oblenus 107

Mary Myer, widow Ill

Theodoras Polhemns 240

Estate.

Tax.

Taj

£ s.

97 10

93 5

28 15

15 15

39 10

77 10

21 15

16 15

42 15

39 5

27 10

42 10

-J

62 10

53 15

45 5

37 15

13 15

3 15

28 15

9 15

96 5

18 10

123 10

36 10

30 10

19 10

48 10

8.>

17 10

93 10

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN.

425

Inhabitants.

Real Estate. Persn'l

State

County

lEstate. Tax. Tax.

£ £ s. £ s. d. £ s. d.

Theodorus Polhemus, Jr 29 10 0 4 10 0 13

Jacob Polliemiis GIO 0 10 003

Aurt Kamseu IGO 4110 1 13 7 0 8 8|

Ileiidriek Oblemis 117 91 15 1 14 10 0 9 o"

Phillip Demerest 35 12 15 0 8 0 0 2 1

Garret Oblenus G5 25 15 0 15 2 0 4 11

Andros VanOrdeu 150 73 5 1 17 2 0 5 6

Cornelius Vervelen 17 5 0 2 10 0 0 8i

Jacobus Tiumire 140 IIG 5 2 2 8 0 11 lo"

Hcudrick Turnure 158 126 5 2 7 4 0 12 3^

Jolm Ilutton 14 5 0 2 4 0 0 7"

Captain Hendrick Turnure. . 180 115 10 2 9 3 0 12 9^

Johanias Sickles IG 0 2 8 0 0 8

James Vandolison 55 15 0 9 4 0 2 5

Michael Turnure IGO 103 15 2 4 0 0 11 5^

Johanias Polhenius 110 32 5 1 3 8 0 6 1 J

Jacob Whitman 110 52 5 12 6 Oil o"

Jacobus J. DeClark 250 61 5 2 1110 0 13 5i

Abraham Jones 12 5 0 2 0 0 0 6

Johanias Turnure 138 37 15 19 4 0 7 7^

Jacobus D. DeClarke 250 6115 2 12 0 0 13 6"

George Van Nostrandt 169 43 15 1 15 4 0 9 2

Adrian Onderdonk 62 24 15 0 14 4 0 3 5^

Thomas Blaiivelt, Esq 216 46 15 2 3 8 Oil 4|

Rem Onderdonk 15 15 0 2 8 0 0 8

Dowe Vanderbelt 160 23 5 1 10 G 0 7 11

Joseph Garrison 19 5 0 3 2 0 0 10

Johanias Onderdonk 60 34 5 0 15 8 0 4 0

v Joseph Seaman 50 22 5 0 12 0 0 3 1^

Captain John Eckerson 85 39 15 10 9 0 5 5

John Martine 235 36 15 2 5 2 0 11 9

James Vanderbelt 105 35 15 13 6 0 6 1^

James Lakerman 3 15 0 0 6 0 0 li

Johanias Vanderbelt 290 127 10 3 9 7 0 18 1

Jobs. Vanderbelt, Jr 75 22 10 0 16 2 0 4 21

426 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Inhabitants. Real Esta:e. Persn'l State County

Estate. Tax. Tax.

£ £ s. £ s. d. £ s. d.

David Pye, Esq 93 61 10 1 5 7 0 6 7i

Widow VanTassel 2 3 10 0 0 10 0 0 2|

John Zabriskie 11 33 10 0 7 4 0 1 lo"

Tobias Lowrie 11 9 10 0 3 4 0 0 10

Bridget Vanderbelt 142 43 15 1 11 0 0 8 0

Resolvent Stevense 185 59 15 2 18 0 10 10

Luke Campbell 12 28 15 0 6 10 0 19

Garret Vanclief 21 4 10 0 43 Oil

Stephen Campbell G9 37 5 0 17 8 0 4 7

Jacobus Blauvelt 105 75 5 1 9 10 0 7 8

Isaac Blauvelt 64 0 10 8 0 2 9

Cornelius Heuyon 45 43 15 0 14 9 0 3 10

Luke DeGraw 40 18 15 0 9 8 0 2 6

Johanis DeGraw 90 20 5 0 18 4 0 4 9

Daniel DeGraw 90 9 10 0 16 7 0 4 3^

Cornelia Benson S3 32 10 0 19 3 0 5 o"

Lambert Cooper 90 26 10 0 19 4 0 5 0

Thunis Trmnper 6 10 10 003

William DeGraw 50 23 5 0 12 2 0 3 2

Isaac Brewer 30 12 15 0 7 2 0 1 10

John Blauvelt 225 72 10 2 9 7 0 12 10^

Abraham DeClark 6 10 010 003

Claus T. VanHouten 190 67 10 2 2 10 0 11 1^

Woodhull Turmire 75 28 15 0 17 3 0 4 6

Jolm Jersey 110 37 15 14 8 0 6 5

Reuben Hunt 8 3 15 0 1 10 00 5

Rem Bell 62 27 5 0 14 10 0 3 10

Peter Hopper 9 10 017 005

Delia Smith, Avidow 65 26 5 0 15 2 0 3 11

James Gurorie 81 24 5 0 17 6 0 4 6^

John Edd. Smith 22 5 0 3 8 0 0 11

Edward Smith 155 27 10 110 11 0 8 0

Edward Smith, Jr 15 10 0 2 6 0 0 8

Stephen A. Stephens 85 34 10 0 19 10 0 5 2

James Smith 47 23 10 0 11 9 0 3 0

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 427

Inhabitants. Real Estate. Persn'l State County

Estate. Tax. Tax.

£ £ S. £ S. d. £ S. (1.

Thomas Rossell 133 15 15 1 4 10 0 6 5

Abraham J. BLauvelt 125 40 5 17 6 0 7 1

John Palmer 155 67 5 1 17 0 0 9 7^

John Trumper 190 36 5 1 17 8 0 9 9*

Lambert Smith 64 27 5 0 15 2 0 3 ll'

Paulus Seaman 11 6 5 0 2 10 0 0 8^

Derick VanHouten 135 20 5 1 5 10 0 6 Si

Martiniis Hogenkamp 125 69 5 1 12 4 0 8 5

Johanias Blauvelt, Esq 390 105 15 4 2 6 115

Johanias Elauvelt, Jr 180 58 15 1 19 8 0 10 4

Isaac Blauvelt 70 46 15 0 19 4 0 5 0

Abraham Blauvelt 176 76 5 2 2 0 0 10 11

Ejnier House 240 36 5 2 6 0 0 1111

Eynier House, Jr 42 21 10 0 10 7 0 2 8

Johanias House 42 21 5 0 10 6 0 2 8

Uldirc Brewer 200 125 5 2 14 2 0 14 1

Stephen S. Stevense 140 45 5 1 10 10 0 8 0

Gai-ret Onderdonk 300 151 10 3 15 3 0 19 6^

Garret Onderdonk 50 0 8 4 0 2 3

Andrew Onderdonk, Jr 140 50 10 15 8 0 6 8

William Campbell 130 14 10 14 0 0 6 3

William Campbell, Jr 20 10 0 3 5 0 0 10 J

John Stagg 73 26 5 0 16 6 0 4 3^

John Voorhis 125 16 5 1 3 6 0 6 U

Clare Voorhis, widow 11 5 0111 006

John Magee 6 5 010 003

Abraham P. Blauvelt ISO 62 15 2 0 6 0 10 6

Daniel Geroe 145 66 10 1 15 3 0 9 7

Evert Hogenkamp 175 36 10 1 15 3 0 9 7

Jacobus Blauvelt 200 60 10 2 4 4 0 11 6^

Jacob Wood 118 18 15 1 2 10 0 5 ll'

Martin Shaw 3 15 0 0 6 0 0 1^

Abraham .Cooper 3 15 0 0 6 0 0 IJ

Abraham VanHouten 150 37 15 111 2 0 8 1

Jacob Cole, Esq 88 53 15 13 6 0 6 1

428 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Inhabitants. Real Estate Persn'l State County

Estate. Ta.\. Tax.

£ £ s. £ s. d. £ s. d.

James Cannif 70 9 15 0 13 2 0 3 5

William Pool 70 2115 0 15 2 0 3 11

Ebenczer Wood 20 24 15 0 7 6 0 1 11

Captain E. VauHouten 179 87 15 2 4 4 0 11 6

Ilendrick Stevense 302 123 15 3 12 6 0 18 10^

Stephen H. Stevense 2810 049 012^

William Stevense 45 34 15 0 13 4 0 3 5^

Ilarmanus Trumper 53 15 15 0 11 C 0 3 o'

Andrew Cole G15 010 003

Captain Gt. Eckerson 168 47 10 115 11 0 9 4

Walter Smith 35 57 10 0 15 4 0 4 0

Henry Wood 13 6 10 0 3 2 0 0 10

Joseph Palmer 170 30 10 1 13 4 0 8 8

Jonathan Palmer 165 67 15 1 18 9 0 10 1

Abram Garrison, Jr 63 16 15 0 13 4 0 3 5}

Sarah Smith, widow 65 2110 0 14 7 0 3 9^

John Smith 55 24 10 0 13 3 0 3 5

Stephen Smith 55 23 5 0 13 0 0 3 4}

Daniel Cocklatt 105 44 5 1 4 10 0 6 5^

Cathrine Blauvelt, widow... 200 85 15 2 7 8 0 12 U

Johanias Blauvelt 190 50 5 2 0 0 0 10 5

Mary Onderdonk, widow 135 27 5 17 0 0 7 0

Stephen Gnmie 6 15 0 12 0 0 3^-

Girtche Blauvelt, widow 615 012 00 3i

Saimxel Coe 60 21 5 0 13 6 0 3 6

Captain Jacob Onderdonk... 185 58 10 2 0 7 0 10 6|

Estate of Jno. DelToyelles. .. 350 2 18 4 0 15 2

Walter Smith, Monntr 10 0 18 0 0 5

Estate of Jno. DelSToyelles,

(Monntak Lott by Sliort

Clove) " 10 0 18 0 0 5

Amount of this Tax List 357£ 2s. 9|d.

In this assessment roll it will be seen that -Tohn Byder was the

wealthiest land owner, and that Deriek Swartwoiit eame next on the list.

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 429

Mr. Swart wont is said to liave owned a great many slaves, but liberated
tbein all before bis deatb. He lived to tbe age of 90 yeai-s, 8 moutbs
and 2 days.

Altbongb slaves were beld as legal property previous to 1830, tbcy
were kindly treated by tbeir masters and many instances migbt be given
wbere tbey led very easy lives, and many were given tbeir freedom
before tbe abolition act was passed in 1828 by the State Legislatni-c.

An old bill of sale is bare copied, being a relic of tbe early days wbeu
slaves existed in tbis county:

"Know all men by tbese presents tbat we, Jobn G. Ackcrman and
William G. Ackerman, both of the town of Hempstead, county of Rock-
laud, and State of New York, for and in consideration of tbe sum of
Two hundred and sLsty-two dollars and fifty cents. Current Money of
this State to me in hand paid by John Smith, of tbe toAvnship of C larks-
town, at or before tbe sealing and delivery of these Presents tbe receipt
whereof the said John & "William G. Ackenmin, do hereby acknowl-
edge have granted, bargened and sold and by these Presents doth Grant,
bargen and Sell unto tbe Said John Smith, his Executors, Administra-
tors and Assigns, one Certain Negro Man Named PJill, to have and to
hold tbe Said Bargened Promised unto tbe Said John Smith, his heirs.
Executors, Administrators or Assigns, to the only proper use and Behoof
of the Said John Smith, his heirs and Assigns for and during the natural
Life of the Said Bill, and we, tbe Said Jobn & William G. Ackcnnan,
for ourself, our heii-s and Assigns, or under tbe Present statute the said
Bargened premises unto tbe Said John Smith, his heirs and Assigns,
against all manner of Persons shall wan-ant and Defend by these Pres-
ents. In witness whereof we have hereunto Set our bands and Seals
this Sixth day of September, in the Year of Our Lord one thousand
Eight HTindred and Nine.

JOHN G. ACKERMAN (L. S.),

WILLIAM G. ACKEKMAN (L. S.),

Executors.

Signed, Sealed in the Presents of

GEORGE CARLOUGH,

JOHN SHURBEY.

430 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Tlie folloAving is another old document relating to slavery, showing
the modus operandi in setting a servant free. They could not be sent
away unless they were able to siipport themselves:

This may Certify that I, the under subscriber, Discharge Dyne A
Black weomen being about the age of twenty-six year for to do for her-
selfe and relinqiusli oil my right, titel and dischearge her from all the
right and Claim I held heretofore against her as being my property —
if the overseers of the poor of the town of Clarkstown agree with me to
execute the same. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this
11 Day of May— 1808. ATJRY DEMAREST.

and we, the overseers of the poor of the town of Clarkstown, upon Due
satisfaction made to us that the said Dyne appears to be an able bodyd
weoman and not exceeding the agee above spacoped and do adgudge the
said Dyne to be free and maniunit her agreeable to the above Dischearge
agTeeable to Law in that case made and provided — Done at Clarkstown,
Eocklend county, State of New York, this 11 Day of May, 1808.

JOHANNIS A. VAN HOUTEN,
PETEE D. DEMAREST,

Overseers of the Poor.

The first minutes we can find of a to^vn meeting are as follows : At
a town meeting held on Tliureday, the 4th day of April, 1809, by the
inhabitants of Clark's Tot\ti at the New City. Present, John I. Blau-
velt, Peter D. Smith, Resolvent Stephens, Justices; Peter Stephens,
Moderator; John J. Wood, Town Clerk; Abram Snyder, Supervisor;
John Van Houten, Richard Blanch, Dowe Tenure, Assessors; Martiues
J. Tlogenkamp, Collector; Abraham Polhemus, James Vanderbilt, Poor-
masters; Dowe D. Tallman, Abraham Cole, Hendrick Stevens, Con-
stables; Hosmen Perry, Jacob Vanderbilt, Peter D. Demarest, Com-
missioners of Highw^ays; Abraham Stonns, Isaac B. Van Houten, Sam-
uel DeBaun, Pence Viewers; Abraham Storms, Isaac B. Van Houten,
Samuel DeBaun, Poundmastcrs.

Road Mastei-s — Jacob Wood, John Jersey, Aurt Remscn, Peter P.
Demarest, Jr., Isaac I. Blauvelt, Henry A. Snyder, John C. Van Hou-
ten, Abraham Gamson, Thomas Ackerson, Jr., Daniel Thew, Gan-et
Smith, Henry Stephens, Jacob Myers, Abraham D. Blauvelt, Charles
Benson, Dowe Tallman, John E. Smith, William House, Adrian Onder-

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 431

doiik, Simon Post, John Felter, Solomon Waring, Jessie Beagle, Aury
Uemarest, Peter Benson, Garret S. Snediker, Theodonis Eemsen.

To be raised for the poor, $400.

Every dog that is bit by a mad dog is to be Killed Immediately; $5
fine for every 24 hours that tliey live afterward, the money to go for
the use of the poor.

The Town Clex'k is for to get a Xew Book for to enter the proceed-
ings of the Town.

To be raised for Roads and Bridges, $70.

The Law Respecting fishing in the Ponds ^vith Seins Passed Last
year is to stand.

Entered by JOHN J. WOOD,

Town Clerk.

The list of To\vn Clerks to 1902 is as follows: J. J. Wood,
1809-'12; Abram Cole, 1813; Ebenezer Wood, 1814-'20; Abram
Ilogenkamp, 1815-'19-'26; Jabez Wood, 1822-'27-'32; Henry R. Ste-
phens, 1823-'25; John E. Hogenkamp, 1833-'35-'42; Peter T. Stephens,
1834; Abram E. Hogenkamp, 1843-'44; John I. Cole, 1845; Harmon
Blauvelt, 1846; Isaac Blanch, 1847-'50; Abram A. Stagg, lS51-'55-'58-
'59; Abram J. DeBaim, 1856-'57; Martin Knapp, 1860; T. L. DeNoy-
elles, 1861-"r0-'75; Alfred Phillips, 1871-'73; Paul D. Spotte, 1874;
Joseph DeNoyelles, 1876-'84; Edward C. Buchenaii, 1890.

The following is the census of the Town of Clarkstown for one hun-
dred years:

In 1800 Clarkstomi had 1,806 inhabitants.

In 1810 Clarksto\vn had 1,996 inhabitants.

In 1820 Clarkstown had 1,808 inhabitants.

In 1825 Clarkstown had 2,075 inhabitants.

In 1835 ClarkstoAvn had 2,176 inhabitiints.

In 1845 Clarkstown had 2,797 inhabitants.

In 1850 Clarkstown had 3,111 inhabitants.

In 1855 Clarkstown had 3,512 inhabitants.

In 1860 Clai-kstown had 3,874 inhabitants.

In 1865 Clarkstown had 4,023 inhabitants.

In 1870 ClarkstoAvn had 4,137 inhabitants.

In 1875 Clarkstown had 4,525 inhabitants.

In 1880 Clarkstown had 4,380 inhabitants.

432 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

In 1890 Clarkstown had 5,21G inliabitants.

Ill 1900 Clarkstown had G,305 inhabitants.

AVith the early inhabitants of Clarkstown, the leading families in
particular, the Dutch Ivefonned Church was an important institution
as a religious and social centre, and they were therefore efEeoted greatly
by the dissensions which led to the birth of the True Eeformed Dutch
or Seceder Church. The trouble began elsewhere, we are glad to say;
but no histoiy of Clarkstown is complete without a glimpse of the gi-eat
controversy and open warfare between the two factions of the Dutch
Church in America.

The trouble began in the Raritan, N. J., congi-egations, as far back
as 1720, between the difPerenccs of coetus and confercntie. The fonncr
party advocated an independent American classis and the latter held to
a continuance of the church relations with Holland. For instance, with
the latter a candidate for the ministry had to go to Holland to be
ordained, while with those of more advanced ideas, he need not do so,
but could be qualiiied in this country. There were also other differences,
theological and otheinvise, that drew them apart.

The contest raged at its highest in 1755 at Hackensack and Schraal-
euburg, and finally came to a climax in this county in 1824. This con-
troversy grew at times to bitterness and personal violence.

Two churches were established in this coimty. One at llonsey,
where Eev. James D. Demarest, pastor, and sixty-eight of the members
of the Brick Church at "West ISTew Hempstead, having seceded, started
a True Duteh Reformed Church; and the other, where fifty-eight of
the members of the ClarkstoA\Ti Church withdrew and started a church
at !N"anuet. In the years preceding 1824 many incidents of wrong
actions occurred in Clarkstown among members of these churches which
were in full accord with the doings of the best people of that unenlight-
ened age. Wben the matter concerning Rev. James D. Demarest's
being turned out of the parsonage at New Hempstead came into the
court at New City, Jvidge Betts in his charge to the jury said: "If a
whole congregation secede they may possibly take all their propert,y
with them; but if only one man adheres to the old body, all the prop-
erty belongs to him." As this remark influenced the jury, it created
a great deal of talk and it was said that while the Rev. C. T. Demarest
was denouncing the words of the Judge, a citizen of Clarkstown "lifted

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 433

lip his liorse-whip and said to him, 'Yoii hold your tongue or I will lay
this over you!' " Such utterances as these were perhaps very common,
but over in ISTew Jersey the war waxed much hotter. The membci-s
of the conferenti© party, such as Kevs. Solomon Froligh, James D.
Demarest and others of the Seceders, claimed they were pei-secuted.
It was said that Cornelius J. Blauvelt, a student for the ministry, was
shot at one morning by some one and a large buckshot penetrated his
back. In some places in jSTew Jersey church buildings were emptied of
their contents, locked and barricaded and attempts at incendiarism dis-
covered, with many legal suits in court over the outcome. But it was
about the same elsewhere as in C'larkstown as to who should "hold the
fort." The party of progress kept possession of the churches and the
Seceders had to build anew.

Those who left the Clarkstown Church went during tlie pastorate of
Eev. Nicholas Lansing. They were united with the Classis of Hacken-
sack in 1824, and in 1825 a certificate of incorporation was executed,
signed by John Ilutton, Jacob Tallman, Jacob P. Demarest and Abram
DcEaun, elders; and Nicholas Blauvelt, James DeClark, A. McCau-
dles and Tunis Blauvelt, Deacons. Their pastors were Rev. V. S. Lans-
ing, Rev. James D. BrinkerhofP, Rev. James D. Demarest, Rev. Abra-
ham Van Houten and Rev. John R. Cooper. The latter came in 1865
and remained a long time, a faithful and beloved pastor. After the
death of Mr. Cooper the church declined, and for the past few years the
building has stood unused part of the time. One of the principal rea-
sons that the church failed to maintain its existence was that no Sunday
schools were held by the Seceders and the children were drawn away to
where these "niu'series of the church" existed. In later years, seeing
the necessity, they commenced holding Sunday schools in some of the
churches.

WEST NYACK

The localities which are kno\vni as Clarksville and Mont iloor, to-
gether with the village clustering around the West- Shore Railroad station
and the country thereabout is now kno\\m as West Nyack. Clarksville is
the oldest part and contains a Reformed Ch\irch, a school house and sev-
eral stores; while at the West Shore station is located the Nyack Water
Works. This portion of the to-mi was settled very early by the Dutch

434 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

farmers, and when the Revolution came, a goodly number of their
descendants enlisted and fought for the cause of liberty. Clarksville
was known as Oblenis' for more than one hundred years before the Ny-
ack Turnpike was opened throvigh it, or even was thought of.

By a deed dated December 11, 1732, Hendrick Oblenis, yeoman
from Harlem, province of IvTew York, acquired title by i>urchase to
eight hundred acres of land in the Kakiat patent: known as lots Nos.
eleven and twelve on John Alsop's map of survey, dated August 15th,
1727, extending from the north boundary line of the 1,000 acre — com-
monly called the expense lot — now the boundary line between Orange-
to^vn and Clarkstown; to the south bovmdary of Emil Kline's farm, be-
ing one and a quarter miles from south to north and one mile west
from Demarest Hill — Hackensack river — including what is now C'larks-
^dlle, and the farm on which the West Shore Railroad and station is
built. The purchase price of this tract was eight hundred pounds, law-
ful currency of the province.

This place, however, was not known as "Oblenis' Corners" until
1828, when the iN'yack Turnpike was completed for travel from Xyack
to Suffem, passing entirely through this tract from the Hackensack
bridge, west, making the "comers" as they are now.

Before the coming of the turnpike there were a number of farm
houses near "Oblenis" along the highway leading from ?Tew City to
Tappan and the Slote, as Piermont was called before the Erie road ter-
minated there in 1840. These were queer and quaint old stone
structures.

Hendrick Oblenis, grandson of the original purchaser of the tract,
occupied the Manor house and farm, inherited by his father Petrus, who
died in 17G3. This house, built of rough round field stone one story, was
removed by John T. Vanhouten in 1838, to make room for the brick
building now in the possession of his heirs. Hendrick died in 1815.
Peter, the son of Hendrick, who died in 1838, occupied the adjoining
farm house. It is yet standing, though somewhat modernized. Garret,
a younger son of Hendrick, inherited a large part of his grandfather's
tract. The West Shore Railroad crosses the entire length of this farm.
The station is on the north part across the turnpike. The home of Gar-
ret is yet standing and is in good repair and preservation. Garret died
in 1839.

TOWN OP CLARKSTOWN. 435

Philip Demarest, son-in-law to Hendrick, built a stone house near
the corner about the close of the Eevolution, but it has long since given
place to a more modern structure. These were south of the comer.
North, and near the comer, stood an old stone house, built by Auert
Remsen previous to the Eevolution. This was bought in 1816 by Sam-
uel DeBaun, who put up a distilleiy for making whiskey — a business
continued to his death — in 1831. The buildings and ground were
bought by William Oblenis.

There were other buildings, north of the turnpike — that of Isaac S.
Lydecker and his father Abraham; a large brown stone building re-
moved by Isaac Pye (Major) in 1850, who had purchased the farm.
Isaac Lydecker's house is still standing in good repair and is owned by
Emil Kline. A short, distance north is the quaint old mill and house
owned at that time by Auert (Aaron) Polhemus, afterwards inherited by
Dr. John Polhemus, and now owned by a ISTew York land comjiany.
The old mill, like many others, may have passed unnoticed by fixture
historians had it not become famous as the trial place of a A\atch — a story
that ^vill bear relating further on.

At the opening of the Nyack tiumpike, a small store was built on the
south comer, where a postoflBce was established in 1835, called the "Ny-
ack Tumpike" postofficc, and William Oblenis was appointed Postmas-
ter. This being the third office in Clarkstown (one at the Upper Nyack
landing, John Van Houten, Postmaster, a.nd one at New City, called
the Clarkstown postoffice, Abram Hogenkamp, Postmaster). The mail
at that time was brought overland by way of Hackensack and Tappan to
New City once a week; the prepayment of postage, like envelopes, was
not known. Postage on letters varied in price according to distance. The
Postmaster depended on its delivery' to get his postage; nor was he dis-
appointed either, in those days. In 1836 John L. Smith started a hat
manufactory on the tumpike west of the store. Previous to this, Cornel-
ius Yeomans had built his harness shop between the store and Smith's
factory. Then came Gumee's blacksmith shop; there had, however,
been a smith's shop before, kept by Sylvester Symonds.

Tliere is an incident connected ^\^th S,\nnonds' shop which will bear
repeating: In 1837, Martin Van Buren, President of the United States,
in company with Washington Irving, while traveling through the county
stopped at the "Comers" to visit Mrs. Gertrude Oblenis, an old acquaint-

436 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ance, when the driver discoA^ercd their can-iag-e needed some slight re-
pairs. Their identity having become known to Sylvester, he made the
most of his knowledge, and charged five dollars for a few minutes work,
saying it was seldom he made the acquaintance of such distinguished peo-
ple and he wanted to be remembered by them. By this parsimonious ac-
tion he not only lost the confidence but the patronage of the people, and
was forced to leave the place. By a chronicler of that day, we are in-
formed that at the time of the President's visit quite a commotion was
created. The farmers of the neighborhood and the few old soldiers liv-
ing in the vicinity — a remnant of the Continental army who had served
under General Wayne, of Stony Point fame, gathered at the "Comei-s"
and held an impromptu meeting, to pay their respects to the Chief Magis-
trate and his secretary. David Pye, Sr., was spokesman for the occasion,
being commissioner of pensions for Rockland county at the time. After
an introduction a very sociable intercourse was had. Then bidding good-
bye to the fanners and taking an affectionate farewell of the old veterans,
they left the "Comers" for Hoboken, by way of Tappan.

With the completion of the Nyack turnpike through to Siiffern the
"Corners" became an important centre, and at one time the greatest
thoroughfare of travel in the county. The "Corners" about this time
assumed quite a businesslike aspect. After Gumee's blacksmith shop
and dwelling house came Swartwout's can-iage factory, and the harness
shop of Vanzant, on the northwest corner (Yeomans being dead) fol-
lowed in 1842 by the hotel. About this time Vanzant built his dwell-
ing house adjoining Gumee's, north of the corner. On the turnpike,
west of the corner, was the furniture manufactory of Auriansen, and his
dwelling house; farther on was the studio and dwelling of John Hill.

In 1889 a district school was built opposite the West Shore station,
on the timipike. James Bensen, William and David Tremper had
erected dwellings east of the Hackensack bridge on the turnpike. The
school house was removed to the north side of the turnpike and is used
as the West Shore station house.

The building of the Erie Road through the county diverted the travel
in another direction, and Oblenis closed out his store business. The post-
office was removed to the hotel, then kept by Thomas Warner, he acting
as the deputy. In 1845 John W. Ilutton, son-in-law of William Oblenis,
opened the store as a grocery, and the postofHce was again transferred to

TOWN OF CLrARKSTOWN. 437

it, With Hutton as deputy Postmaster. Up to 1847 the place was kno\vn
as Obleniss Corners," when a meeting was called to give a distinctive
name to the place. The ground on which the hotel stood was leased to
^\arner by \\ilham Oblenis; the lease about to expire, Warner wa. de-
sirous to dispose of the hotel and go in other business. Charles M Oble-
nis, son of William, bought the hotel and grounds, and then the meetincr
was called. Many names were suggested, appropriate and otherwise
when at the proposition of one of the older residents Clarks Ville was
adopted, and "Clarks Ville Hotel" was painted on the house. The vil-
lage Itself IS still known as Clarksville.

In_ 1853 Hutton Brothers opened a store at Nanuet. Charles M
Oblenis then bought the shares of his brothers and sisters, in the farm'
and let the store to Abraham Vanhouten. Abraham was appointed the
Tostmastor. In 1855 Vanhouten sold to Maitine & Teneycke- Mar
tine then became Postmaster. '

In 1854 Jefferson Wilcox, of the Knickerbocker Ice Company, pur-
chased the place from Oblenis, built a store on the opposite cornc^r for
he occupancy of Martine & Teneycke. Teneycke of the firm died in
1859 and Martine retired.

James I. Lydecker bought the "store," in 1859, he being Postmaster.
Ihe postoffice was kno^vn as "Nyack Turnpike" till 1874. Lydecker
sold the store in 1870 to John T. Smith, whose son David is Postmaster
at this ^vntmg. The name of the postoffice was changed from N^ack
Turnpike to "MontMoor," during the occupancy of John T. Smith in
1874 he bemg Postmaster. The relevancy for the change is a mystery.
The stoiy was leased to Bartow Bros., but William Hunt is tlie proprie-

bong It the Clarksville hotel of Chas. M. Oblenis. In 1862 he traded it
to Oliver Scott for %ack property. Scott disposed of it to Abram
ivnapp, the present proprietor. The house built by Van Zant in 1860
and occupied as a grocery by Samuel Elsworth, since bought by Chas

Tt ,?' '\^''P^ ^^ ^""' "' ^ ^^"'^^- ^^"™'^^ so^-^l his blacksmith shop
and dwelling house to John V. Ackerman in 1846. The shop has since
heon taken down, the dwelling is converted into a hotel, kept at one
time by David Stonns, since dead; now kept by Andrew Wood.

The West Shore road cutting through the eastern section of the
Ublems tract, brought new life and many improvements to the place.

438 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

A liotel and grocery has been built near the depot; other business houses
ai-e springing up. At this time four hotels, two stores, two wheelwrights,
a harness shop, carriage repository, livery stable, two coal yards and a
butcher shop help to make the business of Clarksville.

If, however, the village has not kept pace with other places, not so
with the farms around it. Even the swamp, east of the main road,
through which the Nyack turnpike is consti-ucted and was at that time
a dense thicket of trees, bushes and briers, is being improved. Tliis
swamp, containing some fifty acres, was, previous to and during the Rev-
olution, a grazing gTound for cattle. At one time during the war this
meadow was the i^endezvous for cattle for miles around, brought for
safety from the incursions of British and Tories.

After the massacre at Old Tappan, in 1778, a regiment of British
regulars came to where the bridge crosses the Ilackensack, one milo
south of Clarksville, then called the Enhook bridge. The bridge having
been destroyed, the main body of troops came no farther. A reconnoiter-
ing party was sent out, and they came as far as James Lydecker's house,
north of "the Corners." Kot seeing any cattle, they joined the main
body, reporting no cattle in sight. There was great excitement at the
time. A friendly courier informed the neighborhood that the "Red-
coats," as the British were called, were coming. All the able bodied men
being away in the army, the women of the neighborhood drove the cat-
tle in the woods some distance north of the "Corners," adjoining the
Ilackensack. It was one of Gray's regiments on a marauding expedition,
and finding no cattle, they looted every house on their return route to
Dobbs Ferry.

The question maj' be asked, why so valuable a piece of meadow
ground was allowed to grow up with bushes and briers and become en-
tirely worthless. The explanation is simple and quite satisfactory. Gar-
ret Oblenis, who owned the farm and swamp through which the turnpike
is built, said that during the seven years that he and his brothei-s were in
the army, the main ditches got closed and, as every fanuer knows, the
bushes then grow fast. When the war was over they were compelled to
cultivate the upland for a living and had to let the swamp gTow.

The genealogy of the Oblenis family, prominent as farmers who had
occupied the same tract of land for nearly two lumdi-ed yeai-s, is rare in
the history of oiu' county. The ancestor of the family, Joorst Van Oble-

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 439

nis, came to this country from Holland, settling on laud in Harlem along
the Hudson. At that time he was forty years of age, having been born
in 1616. This grant of 300 acres was confirmed by Peter Stuyvesaut,
the Governor of the Province, in 165G, and on the 7th day of March,
1686, when the state had been ceded by Holland to the English, this
grant was further confirmed by Thos. Dongan, Capt.-General, Governor-
in-Chief of the Province of New York, under his Majesty, James the
Second. A map locating this land is in Mr. C. M. Oblenis' possession.
Joost had three sons, Petrus, Johannes and Hcndrick, all farmers and
speculators in real estate, as the following abstracts of title will show:

"This indenture, made August 5th, 1705, in the foiu-th year of the
reig-n of Our Sovereign lady Anne, from Peter Van Oblenis to Hendrick
Van Oblenis, of Harlem." This deed is on parchment and is in Dutch.

"This indenture, made July 20, 1713, from Charles ColgTove to
John V Oblenis of Harlem." On parchment, not in Dutch.

''This indentiire, made July 20th, 1717, in the 16th year of the reign
of Our Sovereign, lady Anne, from Charles Colgrove to John V Oble-
nis of Harlem. The deed is on pai'chment and in Dutch.

"This indenture made April IGth, 1767, from Marinus Low to John
Oblenis, both of New York." This is on parchment, not in Dutch.

"This indenture made the eleventh day of December, in the sixth
year of the reign of Our SovereigTi, Lord George the Second, by the
grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, defender of
the faith, etc., Apno Domini, One thousand seven hundred and thirty-
two, from Thomas Clark, merchant of the city of New York, to Hen-
drick Oblenis, yeoman, of the town of Harlem." Not in Dutcli.

This deed is for the eight hundred acres in the Kakiat patent, and
was given to his son, Petnis, as his legacy. To John, his other son, he
gave the Harlem property, consisting of 500 acres, including Washing-
ton Heights on the Hudson. Joost Van Oblenis, father of Hendrick,
died in 1706, ninety years of age. Hendrick, his son, died in 1745.
John, son of Hendrick, died in 1775. The family deeds and maps are
quite well presen'ed and are in the care of Charles Oblenis, of Xyack.
Petnis, son of Hendrick of Harlem, died in 1763, aged 86 years. Hen-
drick, son of Petrus, died in 1815, aged 83; Peter, son of Hendrick of
Kakiat, died in 1831, aged 74; Gan-et, son of Hendrick, died in 1S39,
aged 79; Albert, son of Hendrick, died in 1806, aged 41; Bamet, son

440 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

of Ilendrick, died 1825, aged 54; John, son of Bariiet and Gertrude
Oblcnis, died 1875, aged 75 years; William, son of Barnet and Ger-
trude, died 1881, aged 78 years. The Oblenis row in the burial ground
of the Old Stone Church at Clarkstown, contains the remains of those
once sturdy Dutch fanners.

Fifty years before Rockland was known as a county, in a precinct of
comparative forests, sparsely settled, and years before Clarkstown had a
local name or place on the map, the church was built. The early records
of this old church are either lost or have been destroyed. Enough of its
histoiy, however, remains to show that a church society was organized
in 1748 and the church built in 1750; dedicated on the 17th of June of
that year as the Reformed Dutch Church of Xew Hempstead. In 1830
it was rejjaired and enlarged and a charter was granted. It then became
known as the Reformed Dutch C'hTirch of Clarkstown.

It was then in the zenith of its prosperity; situated in the most popu-
lous part of the town, occupying an important centre with the largest
congregation of any ch^irch in the county.

The late David Pye, of Clarkstown, whose father lived near the
church when it was built ui 1750, is the authority for saying his father
told him there was a log house with a straw roof, on the ground where
the church now stands, as early as 1740, built as a place for meeting,
before there was any church organization, where the neighboring set-
tlers and their families could meet and exchange views socially and theo-
logically; also to inform each other of the state of the market. The
ground on which it stood was donatetl by Theodoras Polhemus, ancestor
of the once numerous Polhemus family, the possessor of many acres in
that part of the Kakiat patent. "The nearest church," said Mr. Pye,
"then being at Tappan, seven or eight miles distant, the only communi-
cation being on horseback or with their heavy fann wagons with wheels
sawed from logs — spokes and hubs not having come in yet — and there
was dissention or strife among the Tappan congregation, as to whether
they should adhere to the dogmas that ruled the Church of Holland or
assert their independence thereof. The settlers in this part of Kakiat,
the precinct of Nauraushaw, favored the indei^endent party, and not
being numeroiis enough to organize a separate congregation, they chose
this their central position to build a log structure, simply that they and
their fiunilies could meet, exchange views and discuss the situation.

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 441

"The strife among the Tappan congregation Lasted through several
years; the ohnrch was closed to worship of any kind. Baptismal sendees
dnring the time were held in private houses and barns. This being the
situation, the inhabitants of the precinct met and foraied a church so-
ciety, and two years later, in 1750, the present stone church was built,
the log building giving way for it."

One hundred and twenty years this church served the purpose of its
original designers. Then in 1870 a difference of opinion arose among
the younger people of the congregation as to the suitableness of their old
place of woi-ship. They thought it too old fashioned for the times, and
out of date.

Following are the names of the various pastors who have officiated
from its organization in 1750 to its abandonment in 1870: Rev. Samuel
Verbryck, from 1750 to 17S4; Rev. Nicholas Lansing, from 17S4 to
1S30; Rev. Christopher Hunt, from 1830 to 18.32; Rev. Alexander H.
Warner, from 1832 to 1837; Rev. Peter J. Quick, from 1837 to 1866;
Rev. Blenjamin C. Lippincott, from 1866 to 1870.

The following description of the present neglected condition is cop-
ied from an editorial published in the Nyack Evening Star, Sept. 12,
1899: "Considerable interest has been awakened by an article from a
correspondent in Wednesday's "Star," in which the Old Stone Church
of ( 'lai-kstown is spoken of and which it is stated that the hand of van-
dalism has been at work in despoiling this ancient edifice of some of its
important features. For many years this old church building has stood
unused in what was once the most thickly populated locality in Clarks-
town, and by its side is the ancient burial ground where the parents and
grandparents of many of our oldest and best known citizens sleep their
long sleep. The church was an outgrowth of the first Refonned Diitch
Church in the county — that of Tappan — and was organized in 1748.
From that date to 1830 the pastors of the Tappan church administered
to the spiritual wants of the Clarkstown people, and Revs. Mutzolus, Ber-
tliolf, Verbryck, and Lansing preached regularly in the old church,
which now stands neglected.

It became a separate chnrgo in 1830, and the more recent pastors of
that congTegation have preaclied in the new building, which is known as
the Clarkstown Reformed Church. Rev. daiTett M. Conover is pastor
at tlie i)rcsent time. The old edifice seiwcd its puqiose well enough until

442 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ISTO, when a difference of opinion arose among the members as to the
suitableness of their temple of worship. It certainly was large enough
to hold all who attended the services, but many among them wanted a
new building, and to have it in a ditfereut locality.

A change was made and the old church was deserted. All that was
considered useful was removed from its interior; and the old gTaveyard,
in which sleep the older citizens with many Revolutionary soldiers, was
considered too out of date for a bm-ial place; and the moss took tinner
hold on the old red sandstone slabs, bedimming the name and age of
the fathers. Sacreligious hands laid hold of the relicts of departed
worth; and vnnter winds whistled through the empty window sashes,
and the snows of successive wintei-s sifted through on the floor of the
lonesome sanctuary.

How little those early pioneers of our county would have thought
the structure they raised at such a sacrifice would stand tlie vicissitudes
of a centuiy and a half, to be despoiled by descendants of the same
denomination as those who built it. Truly, vandalism has done its work
but too well; vulture like they have stripped it of everything of any
value, even to the large stepping stone placed at the entrance of the
church, where it had lain for more than one hundred years. The anti-
antiquated pulpit, so much in keeping ^^^th the 'Old Church,' has also
been removed."

One of the old sandstones in the Oblenis row shows the li\n-ial
ground much older than the cluirch. It is undoubtedly as old as any
burial ground in the county.

The new frame church was built in 1S71, at a cost of $22,000,
including grounds. The dedication sennon was preached by Rev. Dr.
Orminston, an eminent divine from New York city. The pastors of the
new church following Mr. Lippincott were Rev. Ferdinand S. Schenck,
Rev. Samuel Streng, Rev. Goyn Talmage, Rev. Eugene Hill and Rev.
llr. Conover. Rev. Charles S. Hageman, D. P., of ISTyack, also served
the church as a supply for a considerable length of time.

Foremost among the patriots was Major John Smith. He lived in
the large old stone house just west of the German Church, in the bend
from Clarksville to New City, which is still standing. The old house
is almost exactly in the same condition as when occupied by him. He
took part in the military movements of the Revolutionary War and was

TOWN OP CLARKSTOWN. 443

often a participant in the scenes of danger. He was also prominent in
the ohl Dutch Chnrch, being for some time clerk of the chnrch. In the
original church building the bell rope came down in the center aisle,
the bell being placed in the little tower on the center of the roof of the
church. He officiated as the ringer of the bell and acted as "reader,"
or "vorcsanger," and led in the singing. He married Jemima DeWint,
the daughter of John DeWint, who was the owner of the place known as
Washington's Headquarters, Tappan. On his tombstone in the Clarks-
town burying groimd, adjoining the old church, is this record: "Major
John Smitli, died May 11th, 1833; aged 89 yeai-s, 3 months and 4 days."
The following is a copy of the commission of Major received by him
from General Clinton:

The People of the State of ISTew York by the Grace of God Free and
Independent, to John Smith, Esquire, Greeting: —
We, reposing special trust and confidence as well in
Seal of N. Y. your, Patriotism, Conduct and Loyalty as in your Valor
and Readiness to do us good and faithful service. Have
appointed and constituted and by these presents Do
appoint and constitute you, the said John Smith, First Major of the
Regiment of Militia in the County of Orange, whereof A. Hawks Hay,
Esquire, is Colonel. You are, therefore, to take the said regiment into
your charge and care as Firet Major thereof to duly exercise the officers
and soldiers of that Regiment in Arms, who are hereby commanded to
obey you as their First Major, and you are also to observe and follow such
Orders and Directions as you shall from time to time receive from our
General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia of our State, or any
other your superior officer, according to the Rules, discipline of war, in
pursTiance of the Tiiist reposed in you; and for so doing This shall Ix;
your Commission for and during our good pleasure, to be signified by our
Council of Appointment. In Testimony Wherefor, we have caused our
Seal for Military Commissions to be hereunto Affixed. Witness our
Trusty and well beloved George Clinton, Esquire, our Governor of our
State of New York, General and Commander-in-Chief of all the Militia,
and Admiral of the Navy of the same, by and with the Advice and Con-
sent of our said Council of Appointment, at Poughkeepsie, the Twenty-

444 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

eighth day of May, in the second year of our Independence, and in the
year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight.

Passed the Secretary's office August 3rd, 1778.

By Plis Excellency's command.

GEORGE CLINTON.

ABRM. B. BAUCKER, Du. Secretary.

There is qiiite an amusing incident related of ilajor Smith soon
after he was appointed a Major. Being somewhat unfamiliar with mil-
itary tactics, he was practicing one day in his gaiTct, when he gave the
command to himself, sword in hand: "Major Smith, step backward."
He obeyed the command and fell down the open stairs. His wife rushed
to see what was the matter, when he junT[:)ed \ip and exclaimed valiently,
"Wife, wife, you know nothing about the wars!"

The belief in witchcraft in our county in old times is shown in the
following story, related by a resident of the town. It not only gives
information concerning the locality, biit is undoubtedly true:

About a half-mile north from C'larksville we come to the first house
in that day, built by Abram Lydecker, father to Albert and Isaac P.
It was a large, brown stone house, removed by Major Isaac Pye in
1851, to make room for the one now standing there. A quarter of a
mile farther north was the quaint old house and mill of Auert (Aaron)
Polhemus, father of Dr. John and Dorus (Theodonis). The old house
stood on the bank, a few yards north from the entrance to the "mill."
It was an old-fashioned Dutch gabled hip roof, and unlike many build-
ings of its day, was constructed of wood. The old mill may have passed
unnoticed, had it not become famous as the trial place of a witch.

West from the old Clarkstown Church on the road to Bardon's Sta-
tion (on the New City Railroad) stood, at one time, a small wooden,
unpaintod building, occupied by an aged widow and her son by a for-
mer husband. The widow's name was Hannah, known as Naut Kannif.
The son's name was Tobias Lowrie, and he like his mother was eccentric
and reticent. The mother having some knowledge of the medicinal
as well as the curative qualities of herbs, made some effective cures;
this and her fondness for her only companions, a black cat and talking
paiTot, was looked upon as suspicious by the neighbors, who shunned her
as they would a contagion; wlien any disa.ster befel tlie neigliborliood
"Naut Kannif" was sure to be the author.

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 445

It may seem strange, in the eighth decade of tlic nineteenth cen-
tury, to learn that on such frivolous evidence a woman should be con-
demned as a ^vitch and compelled to go through the ordeal of a witch
to prove her innocence. Prominent citizens of the neighborhood, men
and women, held a secret meeting in a fulling mill, Avliich stood jiist
eiist from A. A. Demarest's sa^vmill, and was owned at the time by one
of the Pye family.

Here it was agreed to put "Xaut" to a test that woi;ld prove her inno-
cence or guilt, viz. : Bind her hand and foot, throw her in the mill pond.
If she floated she must necessarily be a witch, but if she drowned then
her innocence would be established beyond a doubt.

With this charitable intent in their minds, the committee brought
the victim of their malice to the pond adjoining A. A. Demarest's house,
as there was no pond at the church then, where she was bound and was
about to be cast in the water, when another party, or parties, appeared
on the scene in the persons of Squire Yaupy (Jacob) Vandcrbilt and
Jake Clark.

Then other counsels prevailed. Instead of the water test, it was
decided to take "Naut" to Aucrt Polhemiis's grist mill and in his great
flour scales weigh her against the old Holland Dutch family Bible, iron
bound, Avith wooden covers and iron chain to carry it by.

If outweighed by the Bible, she must be a witch beyond any doubt,
and must suffer accordingly. She was taken to the mill against her most
eaniest protest, put in the scales and weighed. Weighing more than the
Bible, the committee released her, amid the ominous shaking of heads
at the decision of her judges. Her persecutors were threatened with
an action at law. The matter was, however, settled before it came into
the courts, and "Xaut" was allowed to return to the companionship of
her cat and pan-ot. Thiis ended ingloriously to the actors at least, the
last trial for witchcraft in New York State.

A singidar accident occuiTed at Pye's fulling mill a short time after
the secret meeting, which proved fatal to one of his children. A largo
wooden hammer of some two or three hundred pounds weight (used
for beating cloth), by some accident or mishap fell on Pyo's boy, who got
under the hammer, and he was immediately cmshcd beyond all recog-
nition. This was attributed to "Naut" for the bnital treatment she had
received from her Christian neighbors.

446 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The belief in ■witchcraft was not all confined to the inhabitants in
the vicinity of Clarksville. Many of the Dutch farmers in Clarkstown
had inherited a belief in the snpematviral from their ancestors in Hol-
land, and many hair-raising talcs were told by them in cold winter nights
beside the blazing wood fire and the light of "tallow dips."

NANUET.

This village dates back to the opening of the Erie Railroad in 1841.
It was called Clarksto^vn xmtil 1856, when at the suggestion of James
DeClai'k it was changed to Nanuet, taking the name of an Indian chief.
Prior to 1841 not over a half dozen houses stood between the Turnpike
and sehoolhouse, but with the opening of the railroad a store was built
by David DeClark, which was used as the first railroad station. In 1849
D. P. Demarest erected a house, part of which was used as the station.
In 1852 Dr. M. C. Hasbrouck built the brick store now occupied by
William Hutton, Jr., as a general store and post otfice. The fii-st hotel
was opened by Peter Demarest, Jr., and was eondiicted after his death,
in 1839, by his son, D. P. Demarest. This hotel was known as the old
Red Tavern and is now a private house. It stood just south of the pres-
ent ISTanuet sehoolhouse. In the early days of this hostelry the grounds
in front was the gathering place for all the county militia companies,
which met here to drill each year. The woods opposite the hotel were
utilized by the militiamen to revel in. The present hotels in Xauuet
are five in nimiber. There are also two general stores, of which
William Hutton, Jr., conducts the most important, a blacksmith
shop, meat ma:-ket, livery stable, lumber yard, formerly conducted by
Henry O. Hutton and his brother, John W., organized into a stock com-
pany upon the death of John W., which occurred in 1882. There are
about six hundred inhabitants. Xanuet is beautifully located and JSTcav
York business men are artistically laying out fine summer homes near
the village.

The Baptist Church in this %illage was established in 1860, on land
donated by Da^dd P. Demarest, as the outgroAvth, or rather successor
of the Middletown Baptist Church. Its first pastor was Rev. William
Paulin and the first to be baptized here were Letty Wintei's and Sarah
Bowden, on the 17th of March, 1861. After a service of seven years
Pastor Paulin resigned, in 1866, having faithfully served in getting the

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 447

church started, and the R«v. C. J. Page came as his successor. The
pastors in regular order since then have been Kev. A. B. McGowan, in
1871; Eev. Frederick Greaves, in 1873; Rev. Frank Fletcher, in 1880;
Rev. W. S. S. Worden, in 1884; Rev. Joseph M. Sullivan, in 1890;
Rev. Paul J. Lux, in 1892; Rev. J. "W. Cole, in 1897, and the present
pastor. Rev. Mr. Bradley, in 1901. There were intei-vals, however,
when the church was without a regular minister, yet the services were
kept up and the interest in the work was never lacking. A Sunday
school has been connected with the church and the superintendents seiz-
ing the longest have been Sylvester ]\I. Dow and Earle Insley.

The histoiy of the Seceder Church, now unused, is given elsewhere,
imdcr the township heading.

A foundry was started in 1867 by Abram D. Brower, which had
but a short existence. In 1794 Major Corneliiis Blauvelt conducted a
sawmill on Xain-aushaw Brook, south of the present village. In about
1810 this pi'operty was sold to Abram C. Blauvelt and since then has
been owned by Aurt Van der Wall, Isaac Pye, David Benson, Gustav
Bolig, and is now owned by Louis Bolig, son of Gustav Bolig.

The first post office was established on March 6th, 1846. Da\nd
DeClark was the first postmaster. Since his incumbency David P.
Demarest was appointed postmaster on February 13th, 1851; William
H. Snyder, October 21, 1862; Edward Hutton, August 3rd, 1870; Wil-
liam Hutton, August, 1885, and William Hutton, Jr., September 24,
1897.

The Nanuet Debating Society was fonned in 1845 by local residents
for social intercoiirse, and for discussing the important qviestions of the
day. The old schoolhouse was purchased as a place of meeting. Prom-
inent among those who participated in these debates were C. A. DeBaun,
C. A. Blauvelt, Andrew Hopper, A. J. Demarest, David Bogert and
Nicholas C. Blauvelt. The N'anuet Temperance Society afterwards
occupied this old school building. In the spnng of 1863 Samuel B.
Blauvelt and C. L. Ackerson opened Mechanics' Hall to the public.

The Nanuet Cemetery came into general use at the time the church
adjoining was built. The stone of Daniel DeClark, however, bears the
date of a year earlier. It reads: 'Tn memory of Daniel DeClark, who
departed this life Sept. 22, 1825, aged 57 yeai-s, 11 months." On other
old red sandstones in this cemetery are "Thomas Blanch, 1834," "Danl.

448 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

A. Blauvelt, 1841," "Peter Cole, 1852." A new addition to this cem-
etery was opened by Joseph N. Bhiuvelt, adjoining the okl one, at the
time the Seceder Chnrch split from the Dutch Keformed Church. The
new addition is used by all Protestant denominations. A new Catholic
cemetery called the Bardonia Calvaiy Cemetery was started two years
ago. It is in the Bardonia parish.

The Nanuet Fire Engine Company was organized in 1860. The
first officers were: William II. Snyder, Foreman; J. W. Demarest,
Assistant Foreman. This company was chartered by the State Legisla-
ture in 1862. An engine house was erected in 1868. Prior to 1868 the
firemen met in Mechanics' Hall. William Ilutton, Sr., was Foreman
of this company for many yeai-s. The company has tliirty-eight mem-
bers, a goose-neck hand engine, "Old Piermont No. 1," and a hose cart,
200 feet of hose, 30 feet of suction hose and other apparatus. The offi-
cers are: Louis Rufner, Foreman; L. H. Ilutton, Assistant Foreman;
Jacob Smith, Secretary; Wilbert F. Downs, Treasurer. There has been
only a half dozen fires during the past twelve years, and these were
dwellings and bams, except recently, when the depot was destroyed,
which was the largest conflagTation the place has ever experienced.

The Nanuet school can be traced back to the time when Abram C.
Blauvelt wa.s teacher, in 1812, and was exempt from military duty on
that account. The old school house was a red building 14Jxl34 on the
outside and stood where the road crosses the swamp westward now. In
1844 the primary department of the present school was erected and in
1869 the part used as a grammar school was built. The school library
had its inception in 1839 and now contains 169 volumes. There is also
a public library of 1,787 vohimes here. The trustees of the school are
M. H. Demarest, Matthew B. Marks and Jacob A. Smith, and of the
public libraiy the trustees are J. J. Weiant, Miss Amelia Brown and Mr.
Fay. The school stands one-third of a mile south of the Nanuet station.

CONGERS.

Congers is situated at an altitude of about 300 feet above sea level,
with a view of unsuq^assed magiiificence. Verdreitege Mountain lies
on the east, separating it froni the Hudson river; the "High Tor,"
one of its highest peaks, directly north, and the Ramapo Mountains
north and west.

TOWN OF CIvARKSTOWN. 449

The Eockland, Swartwout and New Lake, fonning a chain of lakes,
of pure crystal water, connected by the Kill von Bcaste creek, are the
largest bodies of fresh water within a radius of fifty miles of New
York city.

Congei-s covers an area of between 2,400 and 2,500 acres, and that
too of land which had formerly been devoted solely to fanning. There
is nowhere in the county a place more beautifully located. The Hack-
ensack river to the west, with its tributaries of rippling brooks and min-
iature cascades, fonning water power for the mills, the one on the Isaac
Pye estate being in the limits of this town.

Its early history is simple. From a quiet little neighborhood in
Clarkstown, composed of fanns, passing from one generation to the
other, uneventful, unchanged, dating back to 1710 (about the earliest
daite obtainable), resisting the rising American spirit and transmitting
their views to their children, they entailed upon this region and handed
down to the pi-esent generation, the consen'ative t.emperament which
resists the efforts of those who come in to help and build up a growing
and thriving village with every advantage on its side.

In 1883 the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Kailway Co., also
known as the West Shore, New York Central, West Shore Division, the
latter as it is kno\\ni to-day, was completed. This was the first railway
connection that the place ever had. The name Congers dates back to
the building of this railroad and the location of a site for a station was
fimiished by Hon. A. B. Conger, and the greater part of the road bed
lies through this estate; previous to this it was known as Waldberg.

In 1889 a company known as the Boston Improvement Co., pur-
chased 2,400 or more acres of land, parts of the farms of A. B. Conger,
W. II. Hankin, G. P. Felt«', Richard and George Swartwout, G. B.
Jolliffe and others; surveyed and divided it into lots, about ten thou-
sand in all.

Lots were sold, large hotels and modem hoiises erected, streets laid
out and the foundation of the present town established.

In the year 1897 a few enterprising citizens formed what was known
as the Citizen's Improvement Association. Its object was to reach as
many non-resident property owners as possible; attend to paying their
taxes at a nominal sum per lot, with membership dues of three dollars
per annum. In that way revive interest in their investments and co-op-

450 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

crate with the residents in making many necessary improvements.

Stone sidewalks were constructed along the main streets and avenues
at a cost of over $2,500, obtained through dues, fees and entertainments.
Trees were planted, street lamps maintained and factories located.

The officers whose efforts were thus crowned with success were W.
H. Faulkner and William H. Hanking, Presidents; Joseph F. Kelly and
G. F. Odell, Secretaries; David Marthing and V. C. Eckhart, Treas-
urers. To-day we have a factory in full operation, "The Twentieth Cen-
tuiy Broom Co.," six stores, four hotels, two livery stables, the Meth-
odist, Catholic and Presbyterian Churches, and the handsomest depot
of brown sandstone between here and Weehawken. The Alert Hook
and Ladder Company, organized in 1896, has a good membership and
has done excellent service. Its present officers are: T. W. Keaniey,
Foreman; Oscar Merrian, Assistant Foreman; John Dickerman,
Secretary.

The first post office for Congers was applied for in the year 1890, the
original office being at Rockland Lake. The first Postmaster, appointed
by President Benjamin Harrison, was Charles DeBevoise, who died
while in office and was siicceeded by Henry J. Files, to fill unexpired
temi. He was re-appointed under President Cleveland. George F.
Odell was appointed in 1897 by President "William McKinley.

Owing to the early records being lost, it cannot be learned what year
the first public school was erected. It was, however, some time about
1854 or 1855. A small building, consisting of one room, situated at the
foot of the hill in a comer of the lot on the Rowe place, now the G. A.
Cropsey farm, under a walnut tree still standing. It had no playgrovmd,
the children using the road for that purpose. In about 1879 an acre
lot was obtained from A. B. Conger and a schoolhouse, a trifle larger
than the first, with an addition of one room added in 1893, was con-
structed. Its condition and size to-day does not fill one with pride, for
the house of learning is still too small for the accommodation of the dis-
trict. The present Board of Trustees are David Marthing, George F.
Odell and V. C. Eckhart.

At the meeting of the two roads, a short distance east of the station,
stands a small frame church, which was established by a small body of
jieople who separated from the Clarksville Dutch Reformed Church in
1830. Abram Snedeker deeded the land to be used exclusively for

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 451

church purposes, with a liberal donation toward the building. He also
purchased three pews, still in the church, for the use of the family and
their heirs. This was known as the Waldberg Dutch Reformed Church.
Services were held every third Sunday, the Clarksville minister supply-
ing- the pulpit. For a time it was closed, when the Rev. Mr. Boyde, of
the Hempstead Presbyterian Church, re-opened it and conducted ser-
vices. In 1840 A. B. Conger came here from New York city and made
extensive alterations and repairs. The Presbyterians thus took charge
and it was in that denomination until 1874, when seiwices were discon-
tinued for ten or twelve years, when the Methodists applied for permis-
sion to hold sendees therc, which was granted, and it is still in their
hands. The present pastor, the Rev. Gardiner Howland, also has charge
of the Rockland Lake Church, this being a branch of that body.

At the back of the pulpit is a white marble tablet, placed there by
Clarence R. Conger, in loving memory of his mother, Mary Rutger
McCrea Conger, bora April 4th, 1819, died May 23rd, 1884.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," is the
inscription.

The Presbyterian Church of Congers was organized April 14th,
1891, by a committee appointed by the Presbytery of Hudson, 1890,
composed of ministers. Rev. T. McB. Nichols, Rev. A. S. Freeman,
D. D., Rev. J. S. Gilmor and Elders J. S. Gilmor and E. Hyatt. The
chm-ch was organized with seven members. Mr. Charles Ken* was unan-
mously elected a ruling elder. The church building was erected through
the persevering efforts of Rev. J. S. Gilmor diiring the summer of 1891
and dedicated in October of that year. Rev. John Hall, D. D., of New
York city, preached the dedicatory sermon to a full house; although a
small church and congregation, yet they are entirely free from debt.
Rev. H. F. Hamlin was pastor two years after Mr. Gilmor resigned a
pastorate of over seven years, and was elected Pastor Emeritiis. The
church is now being supplied by Rev. E. P. Essick.

St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, situated on the Lake Road, was
erected in 1894, the Rev. John J. Mulhern being the first pastor. The
present incumbent, the Rev. John Nageleisen, has done much for the
improvement and extension of the church.

When he fii-st came the parish included Rockland Lake, New City
and Bardonia. He has established and built churches in these places.

452 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

has greatly improved St. Paul's property, purchasing aud fitting up a
rectory, laying out the gTounds, planting trees and shrubs. lie is a man
of broad and liberal views, public spirited and greatly esteemed aud
beloved by his followers and the community.

A large amount of stone was at one time taken from the quarries
running along the line of the railroad; there seems to be a vein of sand-
stone, which was used for many purposes. They have supplied stone
used in the building of Trinity and Rutger Street Churches, in New
York city. The stone marking the graves in the old Kutger street bury-
ing ground, afterward moved to Woodlawn Cemetery, in Greater New
York, on the Harlem Railroad, were brought from here. Some of these
quarries have been filled in and at present deeds of property prohibit
the quarrying of stone in this vicinity. The deepest of these is the one
nearest the railroad crossing, being about 100 feet deep. The stone of
this was used in building the bridges for the West Shore Railroad. It
being necessary to go so deep to get the harder rock, a boiling spring-
soon filled the aperture with water and remains so to the present day.

Scattered around in the most unexpected places one comes across
burying-grounds, all over gTown, sometimes not more than one or two
graves to be found, and those sunken, stones falling down or almost
buried and shamefully neglected. In looking these over, the first on
the top of the hill on the New City road on the G. A. Cropsey farm,
is a large whit« stone marking the last resting place of Solomon War-
ing, who died October 11th, 1841, aged 69 years, 8 months and 12 days,
with this inscription:

"Go home, dear children and sbed no tears;

I mns(t lie here t-ill Christ appears.
When he appears I hope tJo have

A joyful ri'sing from the grave."

(Solomon Waring was one of the members of the first town meet-
ing on record in the history of Rockland county, held at New City,
Thursday, April 4th, 1809.)

Back of the old Waldl^erg church and partly covered by it, lies the
remains of some of the Snedeker family, whose property this is a part of.
T^ie oldest graves that can be seen to-day are Tunis Snedeker, who died
Sept. ISth, 1810, aged 29 years; Margaret Snedeker, who died Oct. 30th,
1810; Garret S., April 13th, 1843, aged 79 years; Jabez Halsey,
died July 29th, 1856, aged 55 years. This by will was to be the

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 453

fainil}' burying ground, but it was afterward considered advisable
to bury elsewliere. A spot was selected in the southern part of the town,
on a point of land projecting into the new lake, and was used for a num-
ber of years. Thei'e are stones there bearing the names of William
Hanking, who died April 2nd, 18G3, aged 48 years, since removed \vith
his wife, who died years afterward, to Nyack (Oak Hill), and DeBauns,
Snedcker, Brinckerhoff, Paul, Reniscn, Swartwout, Gerow, Cokalette,
Kcesler and other names familiar and still well represented in the town
and county. The dates of burial are from 1801 to 1876. Some old and
rather peculiar inscriptions are found here. One reads:

"As you aire mow so once Was I;
As I aim now so you must be.
Prepare for death and follow me."

Another landmark is the Central Hotel, situated on the Haverstraw
Road. On this site, in 1894, the original was destroyed by fire. This
was built by Abraham Snedeker in 1835, and conducted by him until
1868, when his son Daniel assumed the business, which he continued
until his death, in 1895. Its present occupant. Dr. Jerome Newcome,
from Litchfield, Conn., still continues the business. The property, how-
ever, remains in the Snedeker family.

A short distance east of the station is the farai of George Swart-
wout, which is a place of some historical importance. The fann is part
of a large tract of land which the Government confiscated in the time
of the Revolution, and the main part of the house in which Mr. Swai"t-
woiit lives, was standing at that time. The farm was purchased by tlie
great grandfather of the present owner, and was occupied by Dcrick
Swartwout, a son of the purchaser. From him it passed to his oldest
son, James D., and then to George. The family is one of the oldest in
this part of the county and can be traced back to 1660.

The pioneer of this family resided at Esopus and was at one time
Sheriff of Ulster county. The great grandfather of George was a gen-
eral in the Revolutionary War and his son was an oflicer of some rank
inthe Warof 1812.

Derick Swartwout reached an advanced age and his son, James D.,
lived to be more than 85 years old. George and Richard still occupy
homos on the original estate, the fonucr the old homestead, the latter
a place of more recent constraction about a quarter of a mile east of the
homestead.

454 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY

The Siiedeker estate, considered to be the oldest estate possessed by
and of the families now living in this vicinity, is the most beautiful por-
tion of Clarkstown, the fei-tile tract of land lying between the Hacken-
sack river, or the Dcmarest Kill, and the mountains that border the
riv er, and extending south to the road that leads to Rockland Lake. Tliis
was the portion of the Pond Patent which fell to the share of Captain
John Sands, and was sold by hun to the Snedekers, a family of some
importance in the county.

Tunis Snedeker, who was a native of Hempstead, Long Island, liv-
ing there in 1710, is supposed to have been the father of Theodoras,
Abraham, Tunis, Johannes and Garret. He came to this part of the
county as early as 1731, and bought the tract above refen-ed to. He
died August 3rd, 1750, probably intestate, for his sons gave quit claim
deeds to each other for their separate tracts.

Johannes Snedeker's part lay between the King's Road and Dem-
arest's Kill. The part of Garret Snedeker was 435 acres "strict meas-
ure," and the deed signed by his brothers, Theodorus, Johannes and
Abraham, dated May 20th, 1722, described it as: "Beginning at a white
oak tree standing in or near a line of old marked trees which ran along
that line north 44 degTees 15 minutes west to an elm tree standing by
the highway." Its western boundary was the highway called the King's
road. It was also bounded part of the way by the land of Johannes
Snedeker, and its furthest extent north was a walnut tree standing at
the foot of the mountain above the Long Clove.

The general boundaries as given in the deed were : "South by land of
Jacob Polhemus, deceased, west partly by road and part by the land of
Johannes Snedeker, north by the mountain and east by land of Theo-
dorus Snedeker.

The original title of Tunis Snedeker to this part of the patent can-
not bo found. Biit in ] 770 the proprietor of the north moiety of Kakiat
Patent laid claim to certain portions of the north part of the Pond Pat-
ent. Probably on account of this, Garret Snedeker procured a new deed
from John Sands, of Long Island (jirobably the heir-at-law of the orig-
inal owner), October 23rd, 1770, and then gave new deeds to the rest.

To Tunis, the oldest son and heir-at-law of Theodoras Snedeker,
who died in 1767, he deeded 388 acres, "bounded south by Rem Rem-
sen, west by Garret Snedeker, north by the mountain, and east by

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 4SS

Abraham Snedeker and the pond." To Abraham he conveyed 403
acres, bounded west by Tunis S., north and east by mountains, south
by John Eyder and the pond. The pond end is at a road leading from
the King's road to "Slaughter's Landing" (Eockland Lake Dock).
Tunis Snedeker sold 185 acres of his part to his younger brother, Theo-
doras, and when he died, in 1773, he left him all his lands. Theodoras
Snedeker sold supplies from his farm to the British stationed in the Hud-
son river during the Revolution, \\'as cought, his property confiscated
and afterward sold by Samuel Dodge and Daniel Graham, Commis-
sioners, to Jacobus Swartwout, of Dutchess county, August 18th, 1782.
The original deed is now on file in the County Clerk's office at New City.

Abraham Snedeker died in 1771 and left his lands to Abraham
Thew, his grandson. In his will he directed that the family burying-
ground should not be sold, but remain forever for the Snedeker family.

Garret Snedeker died about 1776, and his estate was left to John
Thew and to Eichai-d, Theodoras, Tunis and GaiTet Snedeker. The
estate was divided by the commissioners in 1789.

The only branch of the Snedeker family that owns any part of this
estate are the descendants of Johannes, one family of which still own
a portion of the ancestral inheritance, being the great grandson of
Johannes, who occupies the homestead to-day.

Johannes was appointed by Governor Sir Henry Clinton, captain of
a company of militia for the south part of Orange county, Abraham Har-
ing Colonel, June 29th, 174G. This commission, signed by John C.
Sherwood, Secretary; Henry Clinton, Governor, is still in the possession
of Garret Snedeker at the Homestead.

During the Revolution he took up arms in the cause of freedom and
was captured by the British, with his son Garret. They were chained
together, taken across the river at Stony Point under a shower of bul
lets from the Hessians at that place, shouting, "Shoot the Tories," were
marched down the other side of the river to New York city and con-
fined in the old Sugar House. The son. Garret, was exchanged and
returned, but the father, Johannes, having served in His Majesty's ser-
vice, was retained; he contracted smallpox and died, Sept. 28th, 1779,
aged .58. Johannes left two sons, Garret and Tunis, and several daugh-
ters. The present Gan-et Snedeker, who occupies the place now,
was the only grandchild born there and was named for his grandfather.

4S6 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY

Garret added to the old stone house, making it larger, in 1793. In a
room in the main part Washington took dinner on his w?,y to West Point.
In it is the chair he sat in, being one of six nearly two hundred years
old and in perfect order. This house stands about forty rods west of
the King's road and about a quarter of a mile northwest from the old
Waldberg church.

Abraham Suedeker was born May 15th, 1793, and was a veteran of
the war of 1812, and was drawing a pension at the time of his death,
which occurred in 1855. He left two sons, Daniel and Grarret. Daniel
died in 1895, lea\ang three daughters. Grarret is still living, at about
eighty years of age, and has a wife living and two adopted daughtei-s.
Various tracts of the original estate have in the course of time been
divided into small parcels.

In 1840 Hon. Abrahani B. Conger, by various purchases, became
the owner of almost the whole of the original estate, and a considerable
portion of it is now in the possession of his family.

ROCKLAA^D LAKE.

Rockland Lake village is situated east of the lake and lies between
there and the foot of the hill at the river, where the Knickerbocker Ice
Company load their barges for shipment and where there is a steamboat
landing. The place consists of a church, several stores and hotels, but
the Knickerbocker Company is the life of the village and its main
dependence, as it has large storehouses here and employs many hands in
winter. The place was fonnerly known as Slaughter's Landing, bear-
ing that name previous to 1835. In 1711 John Slaughter, an Englisli-
man, is said to have purchased ground now covered by the village, which
gave it its early name. Another account states that the British often
landed during the Revolution and stole cattle and drove them down to
the shore and slaughtered them before taking them on board their ves-
sels. Both are no doubt correct. It was prol>ably re-christened Slaugh-
ter's by the blood sacrificed here for the appetites of the Britisli seamen.

The gathering of ice was begim in 1831, with a capital of $2,000,
from which the business grew to its present importance. In 1855
three companies formed and continued under the name of the Knicker-
bocker Ice Co., with a capital of $900,000, all paid up, clear of debt.
Mr. Charles Cook, having gro\\^l up with the company, starting by

TOWN OF CLrARKSTOWN. 457

driving a horse on the dock, then raised to Superintendent of the dock,
was, by his ability, chosen in 1895 as Superintendent of the whole plant
here. He has accomplished much more than any other man. Under
his direction there has been shipped over the hill by the cars, rvm by
endless cable, to the dock, over 1,000 tons of ice in ten hours. In 1896
the ice company formed a corporation and called it the Consolidated Ice
Company. As the business increased, in 1901 it "was called the Amer-
ican Ice Company, with a capital of $40,000,000. In harvesting ice
they employ between 700 and 1,000 men and boys and over 60 hoi-ses.

The first hotel was built in 1839; the first store was opened in 1840,
by A. D. Stephens, afterward Member of CongTess. A wheelwright and
blacksmith shop was started in 1840, by E. E. and J. E. Conklin, and
a marine railway was built by Francis Powley in 1850. The first stone-
crusher was started near the landing by John Mansfield in 1872. The
post oifice was established in 1842 and the officials in charge have since
been T. J. Wilcox, A. P. Stephens, Leonard F. Fitch, E. E. Conklin, A.
T. Fitch, T. H. Woodcock, H. H. House and W. S. House.

The Knickerbocker Fire Engine Co. was organized in 1861 and
has rendered valuable service at several large fires in this vicinity.

The first public school in the village was opened in 1835, the site
l)eing given by Mr. Wells, and a later one was built in 1850 on land
given by John D. Ascough. In 1853 it became a free school and
remained so until 1857, when the system was abolished in the district.

In October, 1867, it was resolved to raise $550 by tax on the prop-
erty of the district for educational purposes. In 1886 C. W. Weyant
was elected trustee; in 1887, James W. Ackerson; in 1888, John Green,
and the last three, Messrs. Ackerson, Weiant and Green, have been
re-elected each succeeding term till the present (1902).

The schoolhouse proving entirely inadequate, the building of a new
one was agitated, and at a special meeting held May 29th, 1895, it was
voted to bond the district for $6,000 to purchase a site and erect a new
building. The adjoining lot on the north, then owned by the Catholic
Church, was purchased and a building 70x35 was finished and dedicated
on the evening of Jan. 8th, 1896, Hon. A. S. Tompkins, then County
Judge, making the dedicatory address, in which he complimented the
district on the appearance of the new structure. He also spoke very
enthusiastically of the Board of Trustees, through whose untiring efforts

458 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

the school was raised to its high standard. The building consists of three
rooms and is heated by steain, furnished ^\4th electric bells and other
modem appliances. The old school building was taken down in sections
and removed to the south end of the lake, where it still stands on the
east side of the Boulevard, as a bam on the property of Julius Demmai*.

William Onderdonk was elected as the first Librarian in 1S59 and
the next year the libraiy books were removed to the schoolhouse and
were used as a circulating library, until most of the books were either
lost or destroyed. In 1SS5 Dr. H. H. House was elected Librarian and
the foundation of the present library laid, to which books have been
added each year, until the school now has a circulating library of over
500 volumes.

The following pei-sons have been teachers in the school: John IL
Stevens, !Mr. Miller, Mr. Campbell, John A. Griswold, Eobert Clements,
n. C. Smith, ifi-s. Pepper, James Medbnry, Julia Bird, Miss Bird, Jolm
P. Taylcr, Michael Deeling, E. X. Tupper, Miss Tupper, Alonzo Bardin,
E. J. Horton, Elizabeth Christian, George Oldfield, Thomas Kennedy,
Ida Kennedy, Mr. Scott, ilr. Bogart and wife, Isaac House, Washing-
ton FuUwood, Emory Smith, George Pratt, George A. Bossard, John
C Heyn and Mary Christian. In 1887 Mr. Taylor was principal and
Misses Cyrinia and Blanch Harwell were assistants for two years. In
1SS9 Joseph K. AViles became principal and has continued as such until
the present time (1902). With him have been associated Misses Maud
Buckley, Ellen W. Redmond, Amy E. Liigfeld, S. Caroline Miller and
Elizabeth E. Jenkins.

In 1802 the Board of Triistees prescribed and adopted a Course of
Study for use in the school and issued diplomas to any pupil who com-
pleted the course and passed the required examination in seventeen
subjects.

The graduates of the school have been: George W. Reimcr, Jr.,
and Misses Lulu E. Brinkerhoff, Kate Kemien, Elizabeth R. Jenkins,
Anna May Hancock, Elizabeth Sncdeker, Johann Liska, Grace Felter,
Anna May Reimer and Ottie Eehenskie.

ilethodist services were held at Rockland Lake soon after the circuit
ridei-s began going their rounds of the county. The meetings were
fii-st held in private houses until in 1835, when a church was built on
ground given by Benedict Wells and wife Bridget In 1811 Rockland

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 459

Lake became a part of the Nyack Circuit. In 1848 it became large
ciKuigli to STipport a pastor in connection with Nyack. The appoint-
ments to th(> two churches were: (Jeorge Ilitcheiis, C. S. Coit and J. S.
Swain until 1851. Some of the preachers who served this church were
R. Vanllorn, Benjamin ])ay and Henry Begle. A new church was then
built and its early pastors wore Andrew Comptou, Thomas II. Smith,
George Griffeths, Gilbert S. Winans, Alexander Craig, George Simp-
son, William Stout, James Gordon, J. W. Young and C. F. Ilall, and in
later years James Piper, T. D. Frazee, Isaac Van Sant, Gardner How-
land and E. O. Howland.

1'he scenery in this section is unsurpassed by that of any locality in
the county or State and must eventually be recognized, as it deserves
to be, by a greatly increased popidation. In a forecast of the future we
seem to see the lake lying in the center of a beautiful city encircled by
elegant villas and spacious hotels nestling in the foliage against the
side hills; cluu-ch spires are pointing upwards in all directions and the
music of chimes is heard in fancy's ear echoing over the still waters.
What a scene of beauty might arista to the eye of the beholder. Even
now it seems to have commenced to assume shape. From the prCvSent
situation, with Congers on tiie west, Rockland Lake village on the east
and (^uasl)ee on the soutli, there is apjiarently a favorable beginning for
a great city, with a lake in its very center, suiTOunded by the sights and
wonders of coming generations.

The tract of land of which Tlockland Lake and Verdreitege Hook
form a part, knowTi as the Pond I'atent, was a sid)ject of controversy
between "John Ilutchins & Co." and "Jarvis Marshall & Co." Both
obtained deeds from the Indians, but the latter probably had the priority,
for a, patent was granted Sept. 27th, 1()94, to Jarvis Marshall and Wil-
liam W(dch. This grant was for ''All that tract of land lying iiiion Hud-
son river, called by the nati\c Indians Quaspeck, beginning on the east
side of a certain kill, and from thence runs N. fiO degrees, E. to a cer-
tain walnut tree marked and so to Hudson i-iver; and then southerly by
the said Hudson river as it runs, to the north line of Cornelius Classin,
and thence by his north bouiuls to the ridge or top of the the moun-
tains, then along the ridge southerly to the land of Tunis Dow; then by
his land to a certain red oak tree standing on the east side of the kill
aforesaid, thence by the said kill to the place where it began: Bounded

460 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ISTortli by Johannes Miller, East by Hiidson river and land of Cornelius
Classen; South by land of Cornelius Classen and Tunis Dow and West
by Demarest's kill."

This tract includes Rockland Lake, from which the patent derives
its name. The Indian word (^uaspeck probably means '"Black Pond."

Jarvis Marshall sold his half to Thomas Burroughs, a merchant of
New York, December 17th, 1695. By his will, dated August 18th,
1703, Mr. Burroughs left it to his youngest son, Joel, and his daughter
Mary, who married Brinley Sylvester, of Shelter Island. They divided
it by a line running from the Lake to Demarest's Kill, and Joel Bur-
roughs had the north and ilary Sylvester the south part. The deed of
partition is dated Febmary 14tli, 1718, and is now in possession of Isaac
DeBaun, of Haverstraw. Joel BuiToughs sold his part to Richard Still-
well May 5th, 1728, and he in turn sold it to Yoris Remsen, of New-
town, Long Island, November 6th, 1728. He left it to his son Theo-
dorus, who left it to his two sons, George and Johannes, who divided it
between them, June 16th, 1766.

Captain John Sands, of Long Island came in possession of one-fourth
of the patent, at the north end, and he sold it to Tunis Snedeker, Oct.
23rd, 1707. He sold shares of this to Abraham and Tunis Snedeker; to
the latter 388 acres, bounded south by Rem Remsen, north by the moun-
tains, and east by Abraham Snedeker and the Lake; and to the former
403 acres, "the south end being at a road leading from the King's road
to Slaughtei-'s Landing." Part of this estate is now in the hands of
the Snedeker family. The house of Theodorus Snedeker, an old stone
dwelling, near Congers station, is still standing and belongs to Abraham
B. Conger. Tunis Snedeker died before 1754, and his estate went to
his children, Richard, Garret, Theodorus, Johannes and Abraham. His
estate was divided in 1879. His descendants are still numerous.

The southern half of this patent lying east of the "Pond," or Rock-
land Lake has been divided and sold. The Boston Improvement Com-
pany was the last to take a large tract of it. The Remsens, Gerows and
DcBami places have all gone into the hands of strangers and it is hard
to find just when the transfers were made. G. P. Felter, William PI.
Hanking, Cornelius Files, Anna Duany, Christopher Kiev, Thomas
Curry, IMatthews and Mrs. Campbell still have large farms in this tract,
on the other side of the Kill von Beaste.

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 461

Mi-s. Anna Tallman's farm, comprising 50 or GO acres, is what
remains of a tract once owned by that family, reaching almost to West
ISTyack.

NEW CITY.

That section of the county north of the mountains during the forty-
seven years that Tappan had been the county seat had become quite
thickly 2>opiilated and when, in 1774, the court house at Tappau was
destroyed by fire, it was decided to select a more central location for a
new court house and the site at New City was chosen. When the county
building was erected there they named the site New City. The growth
of New City has been slow. It now comprises, besides the county build-
ing, erected in 1828, five hotels, four stores, two meat markets, three
shoe manufacturing establishments (in which about 110 persons find
employment), a printing office, thre« churches, two blacksmith shops
and a school.

The Fire Department, of which 35 citizens are members, besides a
steamer and hose cart, has 1,300 feet of hose. It was organized and char-
tered in 1887. In that year Charles E. Horn was chief; in 1890, Wil-
liam UeBevoise; 1891, Elmer R. Wiles; 1892 to 1895, E. C. Buchenau;
from 1895 to 1900, Isaac W. C. Blauvelt; 1900 and 1901, Theodore
DeNoyelles. The officers for 1902 are: Foreman, E. C. Buchenau;
Assistant Foreman, George Blauvelt; Secretary, Edward A. Gross;
Treasurer, Chris. Salom; Chief, T. DeNoyelles; Assistant, Wren Covert.
Chris. Salom has been treasurer since the company was started. E. C.
Buchenau, Foreman five years; Edward A. Gross, Secretary seven years.

The Episcopal Church society was inaugiirated here in 1867 through
the exertions of Rev. E. Gay, of the House of the Good Shepherd, who
preached in the court house at first, and the regular attendance being so
large, he foi-med a parish and procured an assistant, Rev. Thomas Mars-
den, to help attend to this and the other two congTegations under his
charge. A Siinday school was also organized in the Court House and
afterwards continued in an old stone house belonging to B. F. Barnes,
imtil the church was built. The lot for the church building was given
by Lawyer Charles W. Root, and the house of worship was completed
in 1868. Mr. Charles DeBevoise was the first superintendent of the
school. Following Mr. Marsden as rector have been Revs. Romaine,

462 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Mansfield, Cruicksliank, Capron, Esch and Eev. Thomas Stephens, the
present pastor. The church is known as St. John's Episcopal, New City.

The New City M. E. Church Society was first organized at Isaac
Jones's house in 1828. This house is now partially torn down. Rev.
Manning Force was the Presiding Elder of this district. In 1833 a
church was built on a lot bought of Samuel Bissett, and was called St.
John's Church. This was destroyed by fire seventeen years thereafter.
The deed for this church was then claimed by James Conklin, who,
when the church was burned, claimed and collected $600 insurance.
Church meetings were then held in a wheelwright's shop for a time and
in 1848 another church was built, which was used until 1898, when the
present church edifice was erected, at a cost of $7,400. This was ded-
icated, free from debt, in 1898. The ministers have been Richard Van-
Horn, George Hughes, C. T. Coit, E. E. Smith, P. G. Ruskman, J. H.
Timbull, S. S. Pentz, W. II. McBride, S. Sargent, A. J. Conklin, R. M.
Aylesworth, D. W. Rider, Albert A. Kidder, H. S. Wanamaker, 1885;
W. P. George, 1885-'SC; A. W. Ebersole, 1886-'87; Francis S. Wallis-
ton, 1887-'88; Francis V. Rogers, 1888-'89; I. C. Starr, 18S9-'93; W.
H. Russell, 1893-'96; W. S. Haq^er, 1896-'97; J. W. Prettyman,
lS97-'98; E. 0. Howland, 1S98-1902;, and George Fountain, the pres-
ent one.

Of the other societies, an Order of Foresters organized a brancli
here six years ago, and a local organization called the International
Benevolent Society, exists, with about 180 members.

The new school building was erected in 1901. It contains six rooms
and emplays three teachers, a principal and two assistants. The building
is of modem construction, heated by furnace, contains water closets,
cloak; rooms, etc. It is the third school bxiilding erected upon these
gTOunds. The old building was purchased by the Catholic society and
remodeled into a Catholic chui'ch, and stands adjoining the school
gi'ounds. The school has a library of 2.50 volumes, wliich was estab-
lished over thirty yeare ago. The roll call shows an attendance of 137
pupils. The Y. M. C. A. attempted to start a public library in New City,
and secured about five hundred volumes. Tliis proved a failure and the
books were distributed among the members of that society.

The post office, which was established May 12th, 1815, under the
name of Clarkstown, has had the following Postmasters; Peter D. W.

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 463

Smith, 1815; Abram Ilogcnkamp, Dec. 28tli, 1822; Jabcz Wood, Jiily
23rd, 1839; William H. Melick, June 30th, 1849; John II. Stephens,
February 13th, 1851; A. J. Van Houten, Aug. 7th, 1855; Aleabiades
Comelison, June 8th, 1861; Peter DeBevoisc, July 19th, 1872, and the
present incumbent, Jacob Vanderbilt. The name of the office was
changed to New City, July 5th, 1876.

The Nanuet and Xew City Railroad, now owned by the New Jersey
and New York Railroad, was opened in 1875, which gave New City
much better communication with other parts of the county.

The Rockland County Agi-icultural Society was organized in 1844,
and annual fairs were held at New City until 1875, when Spring Valley
was chosen, as better accommodations were offered, and the fairs were
held there for a number of years. In the meantime the arrangement
did not please many in other parts of the county, and so in 1879 another
society was organized, called the Rockland County Industrial Associa-
tion, which has since held annual fairs and exhibitions on the fair
groimds east of the Court House, near the railroad depot. The Constitu-
tion of the Rockland Coimty Industrial Association states that the
objects of this association "shall be the improvement, advancement and
promotion of Agriculture, Horticulture and Industrial occupations, and
meclianics' arts in Rockland county, by holding an exhibition at least
once each year at the New City Driving Park, in the town of Clarks-
town, in said county."

The society when first organized in 1844, was devoted to the exhi-
bition of fann products, but a few years later horse racing was added,
which has since proved the chief attraction at these annual fairs. The
iii-st Presidejit of the old society was Abraham Stephens, and Secretary
N. C. Blauvelt.

UPPER NYACK.

It seems strange to many people, particularly to strangers who come
here, that there should be three separate Nyack corjjoratious, and that
while two of these coiijorations lie in Orangetown, the third, Upper
Nyack, should be situated in Clarkstown. But such is the case. The
di\ading line between Orangetown and Clarkstown is the same line that
separates Nyack from Upper Nyack, and on Broadway it is a short dis-
tance north of Tallman avenue. Until a few year years ago Upper

464 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Nyack's boundary line on tlio nortli was near the southern point of the
Hook Mountain, but some five or six years the boundary was extended
more than half a mile further noi-th to prevent the establishment of a
dynamite factory along shore at the Hook Mountain. This object was
successfully accomplished and the dynamite works were established just
north of the new boundary.

While the people of Upper Nyack were still congratulating them-
selves upon their narrow escape from the dynamite works, the Mack
Paving Company, in 1889, came to Upper IN^yack and purchased the
Varker place, under the very shadow of the Hook, to place a stone-
crushing plant thereon. The news of this purchase was a surprise to
nearly everyone in Upper l^yack, and when they read of it in the local
papers, and those living near the mountain realizing that a large stone
crushing plant there, with its heavy blasts every day, would prove detri-
mental to the value of their property, protested earnestly against the
"new industry," as it was called. The work of establishing the plant
went on, however, imtil it possessed a value, it is said, of nearly $300,-
000. James P. McQuaide and Arthur G. Tucker, prominent and
wealthy citizens who live near the Hook, brought proceedings in the
Supreme Court to restrain the blasting. They succeeded in getting an
order from Judge Dickey which restrained the blasting, except when
it was done under certain strict limitations. The trap rock company
went to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, and that court
reversed Judge Dickey's order and sent the case back for a new trial.
Thus it remains now.

The first business ever carried on in Upper Nyack was the quarry
business. It has always been more of a place for residences than for
trade of any kind, however, although it has a couple of stores, a meat
market, a good public school and an old stone church, erected in 1812,
in which services are still held on Sunday afternoons diiring the greater
part of the year. The place has two fire companies, viz. : Empire Hook
and Ladder Company and Defender Steam Fire Engine Company, both
housed in a handsome and substantial brick building. These companies
belong to the iN'yack Eire Department.

The Nyack Counti-y Club, which some nine years ago rented the
Maxwell property, at Upper Nyack, still occupies those premises and is
one of the leading social organizations along the Hudson river. The

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 46S

club lias spacious grounds, including extensive tennis courts and golf
links, and the club house is handsomely furnished and fitted up. The
ckib's present officers are: President, Fred DeP. Stewart; Vice Pres-
ident, J. Du Pratt White; Secretary, Rev. R. H. Herron; Treasurer,
VanWyck Rossiter.

The Country Club held its first annual Horse Show in October, 1901,
and it proved so successful and satisfactory that preliminary plans are
already being formed for another, to be held in October of the pres-
ent year.

Boat building was extensively carried on in Upper Nyack for years
in the yard owned by J. P. Voris. The first marine railway in Rock-
land comity was built by John Van Houten, at Upper Nyack, in 1834.
A number of well known boats were afterward built in this yard. A few
years ago the yard was purchased by Samuel Ayres & Son, who now
carry on an extensive business there. This new firm erected large new
buildings upon their property and within the last three or four years
have coustnicted a number of very fast steam yachts and launches.

School District No. 9, at Upper Nyack, was organized in 1844. The
first building was erected in 1845, and, with an addition which was
added in 1867, it was used until 1885, when the present edifice was
completed. The first teacher, in 1845, was N. G. Spencer. The pres-
ent Principal is Prof. J. W. Wiseman, who has made the school more
progressive than it ever was before.

Upper Nyack Village was incorj^orated on September 28th, 1872,
and its fii-st officers were: President, Garret Sarvent; Tnistees, Cliarles
A. Fellows, William H. Jersey and Peter Voorhis; Collector, William
H. Kipp; Treasurer, Isaac V. Smith; Clerk^ Daniel M. Clark.

The present officers of the village, elected March 18th, 1902, are:
President, Arthur C. Tucker; Trustees, John Watterson, Frank R.
Crumbie; Treasurer, John W. Pitt; Collector, Frank Brush; Police
Justice, Harvey C. Gilchrest; Police Constable, Alexander Bro^vn.

CENTRAL NYACK.

Central Nyack, formerly called West Nyack, is a pleasant little
hamlet lying west of Nyack village. The dividing line is the old cem-
etei-y lane which runs into the Nyack Turnpike. A canvass made within
the last year showed that tliere were 105 families li\nng in the limits of
what is known as Central Nyack.

466 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The place has three stores, a meat market, many large greenhouses,
used principally for rose culture, a fire engine company — Lone Star No.
4 — and a Congregational Church, organized in 1901. The Nyack Rural
Cemetery, incorporated over fifteen years ago by David J. Blauvelt, is
within the boundaries of Central Nyack. There is no school in the
place, and the children are obliged to attend the Union Free School in
Nyack village.

Central Nyack is known for its fine fruit, ben-ies and poultry, the
most extensive producer being Mr. S. H. Waldron.

Near this place is one of the most beautiful and romantic spots
in the realm of Nature. It is known as LaVergne's Glen, and is sit-
uated about three minutes walk from Lone Star Engine House. Here
the stream winds through a shaded ravine, over curious rock formation,
until it reaches the brink of a deep basin, hevra, it would seem, out of the
solid rock, where it dashes down in a cascade and disappears in a chasm
of boulders. Those who \'isit this place for the first time are greatly sur-
prised at what they behold, and wonder why such a scene of wild beauty
should lie so obsciu-e when it should become famous' among the attrac-
tions for the summer tourist.

VALLEY COTTAGE.

Valley Cottage lies midway between Congers and West Nyack sta-
tions. The fii-st permanent residence was the homestead of John Eydcr,
who settled here over one hundred years ago on a tract of 300 acres and
built a large stone house with brick gables and four rooms on a floor. In
this building his son Hercules, his grandson John H., and his great-
grandson, Aaron Ryder, were bom. The Ryder cemetery ground was
donated by Hercules Ryder as a burial place for the neighborhood. It is
situated half a mile south of the station. The school building stands on
the ground donated by Hercules Ryder in 1810. The Lake Avenue
Chapel was built about 35 years ago and is used for a Sunday school.
Mr. Samuel Gilchrest is Superintendent. Pastors of different churches
often hold services here. The postoffice was established in 1887 and the
first Postmaster was Silas Shannon. The present Postmaster is E. J.
Hicks. Both the postoffice and West Shore R. R. station derived their
names from the name given to the residence of Mr. James A. Green.

HENRY BARDON.

TOWN OP CLARKSTOWN. 467

BARDONIA.

Bardonia is situated about a mile northeast of ISTanuet and is the iirst
station on the New City extension of the IST. J. & IST. Y. R. E., and is
conii^osed of a few residences and a grocery and general provision store
kept by Henry Bardon. As the neighborhood is only a short distance
from the turnpike to ISTyack it is likely to become a place of importance
in the near future. A new Catholic church was erected near here in
1900, called St. Anthony's.

South of the Turnpike, near Bardonia, about fifty years ago, lay an
uncultivated district known as the "Big Woods." The most of it was
owned by Isaac Pye, who afterwards sold it off in small farms of a few
acres each and a road was put through, running south, and a blacksmith
shop was built on the Turnpike. The first who purchased of Mr. Pye
were three brothers — Jacob J., Gan-et and James Rose, who cleared the
land and built houses. Next came Jacob O. Smith, who built a home a
short distance from the Turnpike.

Of these Rose brothei's, Jacob J. and Garret served through the Re-
bellion, belonging to the 95th N. Y. V., and three other of the brothers,
making five in all, served in the war for the Union. The others were
Abram in the 48th N. Y. V.; David in the 17th N. Y. V., and John in
the 6th Artillery. The latter lived in another part, of Clarkstown, and
was famous as a fox hunter. One morning he started off with his gim
and dog for a day's sport, and, like Rip Van Winkle, did not come back
again, nor was he ever heard from; and that was over twenty-five
years ago.

CENTENARY.

Centenary is located a mile south of Haverstraw and derives its name
from a Methodist Episcopal church built there in 1867. A Sunday
school was started in the neighborhood in 1863 by Mrs. Martha Trcm-
per. The first sessions were held in the house belonging to Jacob Weed.
The first Superintendent was William II. Ilyer, who held the position
many years. The place is as yet an isolated farm district, having no rail-
road connection, but is not far distant from the line of the West
Shore road.

468 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

THE DUTCH FACTOEY.

Southeast of Spring Valley, and a suburb of that village, lies a settle-
ment known as "The Dutch Factory," just over into the limits of Clarks-
town. The factory building was first erected in about 1S12 and was
burned several times, each time being rebuilt. It has been used fur vari-
ous industries — the manufacture of cotton yam, cotton blankets, candle
wicks, mosquito netting and hat buckram, and brierwood pipes. After
the factory property came in possession of Mr. Ileycnga and several new
houses were added to the neighborhood the place was known to many as
Heyenga's, or Heyengaville, but the old name still clung to it as well.
Near this place is a charcoal mill.

MOSESTOWN.

Mosestown is a familiar name for a locality lying north of Nanuet
and east of the road to New City. As it is a niral neighborhood, without
either a postofl^ce or a railroad, it has no official name, and in this it is
much better off than if it had two names, not knowing which to choose
as permanent, like a number of other places in the county. Small farms
and gardens abound in the vicinity, where small fruit and summer vege-
tables are raised by the venders who travel to Nyack.

The German Presbyterian Church occupies a central location con-
venient for the Gcnnan population hereabout and is well organized to
maintain the language in its pidpit. The society was first organized
as the Dutch Evangelical Church, in 1860, but was changed nine years
later to the name it now l)ears and wnth a new start it began to prospei*.
The first Trustees were John Bardon, Hemian Meyer and J. F. Eickhoff,
and the first pastors were Revs. WaiTenberger, Bartholomaus Kruise, C.
D. Rosenthal, George Loocke and John U. Tschudi.

QUASBEC.

On the south side of Rockland Lake and abovit one mile from the
village of that name lies the scattered neighborhood of Quasbec, where a
hotel and several summer boarding houses are located. Here the people
from Nyack oft«n come on fishing excursions and boats are kept to be
let out for that pui"pose by parties living near the water. The road from
Rockland Lake village winds around the south shore of the Lake and
leads into the Boulevard running up the hill towards Nyack and crosses

TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN. 469

at the Bamiore house. At the shore, here, stood a school house many
years ago which was started, according to tradition, as follows: An old
resident, John Smith, lived in the neighborhood and owned a number of
slaves. He set them at liberty soon after 1800 and converted their resi-
dence into a school house and where religious ser\aces were also held. It
is said to have stood so near the water that the children sometimes caught
fish out of the windows. I'ishing has always been an attraction here, and
there are also many fresli water springs near the lake where bullfrogs
grow of immense size — larger than anywhere else in the world it is
claimed — but the latter statement the writer would not be willing to
voucli for. The view north from Quasbec takes in a magnificent land-
scape of hill and valley, mountain and lake, and is a picture of suipassing
beauty to the eyes of all who visit the region.

SNEDEKER'S LANDING.

South of Haverstraw is a place which was once of considerable im-
portance, known as Snedeker's Landing. A shipyard was start^'d here
in 1845 by Tunis M. and George W. Snedeker for the puiiJose of build-
ing and repairing vessels engaged in the brick trade, as the water was too
shoal at Haverstraw and was of sufficient depth here. For a year or more
the Haverstraw and New York steamboats stopped at the landing and
business was brisk, biit in a few years it declined, omng to the building
of marine railways at Rockland Lake, Tomkins Cove and elsewhere, and
for the last fifty years it has remained the same.

STRAWTOWN.

Strawtown and Rockland Brewery are familiar names to old n^i-
dents of Clarkstown. Strawtown is a neighborhood north of Clarksville
and cast of the road to New City. In 1854 a store and shoe shop was
started here by Nathaniel Burr, one of the pioneers of the shoe industry
in this coimty. The brewery was built in 1855, but the business was car-
ried on at an earlier date near that place.

Note — ^Ackno\Vle<lgTnen't is made for parts 'oonltriibuted by C. M. Oblenis,
Emma K. Odell, P. Q. Eckerson, E. Gross, Aaron Ryder, Geo. E. Joyce, A. W.
^'an Keuren and G. W. Keimer.

Note — The Indian name Qnaspeck, or Quaaspeake, has been f^implifipid to
Qiiasbec a« fthe more convenient way of s])ellinfj it. Naunaiishaw, also an In-
dian word, is often spelleKl NVniranshann. Verdreitepe is a IIollaTid ^vlord,
meaninp: "fearful," or something tto be dreaded. By many it is spelled
N'erdredica.

470 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTEE XIX.
TOWN OF EAMAPO.

By J. Bogert Suffern.

The To^vn of Eamapo embraces all that section of Eocklaiid county
lying between Clarksto■^^^l on the east, I^ew Jersey on the south and the
southern lines of Orange county and of the town of Haverstraw on the
north and northwest; the junction of the Orange county and New Jer-
sey lines being the northwesterly extremity of the town. It contains
about thirty thousand acres of land, of which about one-half is mountain
and very rough. Nearly all of that which is fit for cultivation lies to
the east of the Mahwah river, whose source is a short distance to the
northward of Ladentown, and which flows southwestward to the New
Jersey line in the village of Suifern. Between this stream and Clarks-
town is embraced all that is fit for cultivation, if we except a few
small tracts lying in the Eamapo valley. The eastern section consists of
a high plateau somewhat broken by valleys, which on the western side
rises gradually from the Mahwah valley to a height of about three hun-
dred feet, and its general trend is north and south.

This teiTitory was included in the Precinct of Haverstraw from June
24th, 1719, until March ISth, 1788, when the name "precinct" was
changed to "town." New Hempstead was erected from Haverstraw,
March 18th, 1791. On March 3rd, 1797, the name was changed to
Hempstead and finally to Ramapo, Aisril 17th, 1829, which has proved
so satisfactory that no suggestion of a change bas been heard since.

These many changes have probably been made to avoid confusion
between Hempst-ead, Long Island, and this one in Rockland county.
The earliest and most numerous colony which came into the town were
from Qiieens county. Long Island, and conferred the name of New
Hempstead on the portion in which they settled. This section was
called by the Indians Kakiat.

The Act by which the town was set off from Haverstraw reads as
follows:

'Trom and after the first of April next. (1791), all that part of the
town of Haverstraw, in the county of Orange, l)ounded easterly by

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 4?!

Clarkstown, southerly by ISTew Jersey, westerly by New Cornwall and
northerly by a line running from the northeast corner of Clarkstown
along the south bounds of the lauds of Fi-ancis Gurnee and Benjamin
Coe and along the north bounds of the laud of Gabriel Conkliu and
Jonathan Seaman and the same course to the bounds of New Cornwall,
shall be and hereby is erected into a distinct and separate town by the
name of New Hempstead ; and the fii-st Town Meeting of the inhabitants
of New Hempstead shall be held at the dwelling house of Theuiiis
Cuyper.

The first town meeting of the newly fonned town was held at the
house of Theunis Cooper, near the "Brick Church" on the first Tuesday
of April, 1791. The presiding Justices were Samuel Goetchius, Theu-
nis Cooper and John Suffem and the following were chosen by the
Freeholdere to the several offices:

Supervisor, Gilbert Cooper; Town Clerk, Gilbert Cooper; Assessors,
Abram Onderdonk, Garret Serven, Joseph Goetchius; Collector, Henry
Howser; Overseers of the Poor, Abram Onderdonk, Aury Blauvelt;
Commissionei's of Highways, Jacob Deronde, Peter Van Houten, Albert
Cooper; Constables, Albert Cooper, Joseph Lyon; Fence Viewers, Ste-
phen Gurnee, James Onderdonk, Henry Young, John S. Coe, John
Myer, Thomas Ondei'donk; Poundmasters, Hendrik Wanamaker, Gar-
ret Eckerson and Johannes Smith."

In the fall of 1828 a meeting of Freeholders and inhabitants assem-
bled at Cassady's Comer to prepare a memorial to the Legislature on
the subject of a change of name for the town.

The meeting is reported to have been stormy; various names were
proposed and reasons given for their adoption; Colimibus was sug-
gested ; Denton, in honor of Abram Denton, the first man who settled in
the town; another was Seamantown, after Jacomiah Seaman, the first
white child bom in the town; Ramapo, after the river and mountain
of that name ; New Antrim and Mechanicstown were also on the list.

Mechanicstown was finally chosen by a plurality of votes as the
name to be suggested to the Legislature. Happily the voice of the
plurality did not prevail, for through, as it is claimed, representation
made by Mr. Jeremiah H. Pierson, the Legislature was induced to adopt
the name "Ramapo."

472 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

It must be admitted that this action was wise. It officially perpet-
uates a name given by the aborigines to a most beautiful and historic
river and chain of mountains. An old writer has said of the Ramapo
river: "There is no stream in the world like it."

Regarding the title of lands in the town of Ramapo, Mr. Cobb
states that the land wa.s originally claimed by two States, New York and
New Jersey, and under three different patents in New York, viz.:
Kakiat, granted to Daniel Honan and Michael Howden, June 25th,
1C86, the Wawayanda, gi-anted to Dr. John Bridges, Ilcndrick Ten
Eyck, Derick Vandenbnrgh, Jolm Cholwell, Christopher Den, Lan-
caster Symes, Daniel Honan, Philip Rokeby, John Merritt, Benjamin
Aske, Peter Matthews and Cornelius Christian, Sr., April 29tli, 1703,
and the Checsecocks, gi-anted to John Baidges, Hendrick Ten Eyck,
Derick Vandenburgh, John Cholwell, Christopher Den, Lancaster
Symes and John Merritt, March 25th, 1707.

Second, that the controversy between Kakiat and Cheesecocks was
first settled, partially in 1727, and finally in 1771. By this last settle-
ment the north line of Kakiat in the Town of Ramapo was made to
beain at the edee of a laro-e rock in the south branch of Minnies Falls
stream. (This rock is north of Gurnee's Corner on land now or formerly
of Mr. J. J. Jones.) From this rock the line nnis in a course south 86
degrees 30 minutes west to a heap of stones erected for the northwest
comer of the Kakiat Patent. The west line of said patent starts from
this corner and runs south three degrees thirty minutes east over a moun-
tain called "Round Hill" and crosses a large rock called "Horse Stalile
Rock" to "John Wood's Tree." John Wood's Tree, which stood about
three-eighths of a mile from Tallman's station in a northeasterly direc-
tion, was an important landmark, being the starting point in the Kakiat,
IlaiTis and Provost Patents, and in later divisions of property in the
town. Thence in a course south 45 degrees east, it crosses the New
Jersey line a little to the east of the ninth mile-stone from the Hudson
river. Hence the territory bo\inded on the north, west and south
by the foregoing lines and on the east by Clarkstown, is within the
Kakiat patent. In this are the villages of Mousey, Spring Valley, Viola,
Ladentown and all of what is generally known as Hempstead.

Third. The line between New York and New Jersey was settled
Oct. 7th, 1769, by a Commission appointed by the Crown, as being in

J. BdUERT 8UFFERN.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 473

Latitude 41 degrees 21 minutes 37 seconds, at the Delaware River, near
Port Jen'is, and 41 degrees north latitude at the Hudson river near Siie-
den's Landing. This settlement saved to the town of Ramapo a con-
siderable amovmt of what is now most important territory, including the
iallages of SufPern, Hillhurn and a portion of Ramapo. This decision
was satisfactory to neither side, but was finally acquiesced in.

Fourth. The claims under the Wawayanda and Oheesecock patents
to lands mthin the to\vn were finally disposed of in 178G by running
a line from the northwest comer of the Kakiat patent, which comer was
established as we have seen in 1771, in a direct course to the 31st mile-
stone on the K'ew Jersey line. This was run by Charles Clinton, son of
General James Clinton, in 1786 and was called the Gore line. It is
identical with the north line of the town and excludes both the Waway-
anda and Checsecock patents -from Ramapo. The land bounded on the
north and west by the Gore line, on the south by New Jersey and on the
east by the K'akiat Patent was familiarly but not officially called the
"Jersey Gore," and was virtually vacant, that is, was not covered by
patents from either Colony or Crown.

Of this Gore Mr. Cobb says that he is indebted to Mr. B. Fernow, of
the Department of Historical Records, Albany, for its history, which
is here quoted :

"Blandina Bayard bought, August 10th, 1700, from the Indians
five tracts of land called Ramapough, Jaapough, Jandekagh, Aringer
and Camgiiee, three Dutcli miles wide and four long, covering most of
the land in the triangle of which the Gore Line is the northwest side.
She improved and settled this land and at her death left it to her cliil-
dren, Petrus and Sarah. Petrus, and later his widow, lived on the land
and continued improvements. When the widow removed she left a cer-
tain Lucas Kiersted as Superintendent; Kiersted was corrupted by Peter
Somans, one of ten proprietors of East New Jersey, and induced to take
out Jersey Patents for these lands, which had hitherto not been patented
by New York, although Blandina Bayard had been promised a patent.

We ^vill now consider this large section of the town, that is, the
"Jersey Gore;" in it were but three persons having titles to their prop-
erty which were recognized by the Cro\\ni or Colony. On ilarch 12th,
1C64, Charles II., King of England, gTanted to his brother, Duke of
York, afterwards King James II., the entii'c region between the Connec-

474 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ticut and Delaware rivers, and, to remove any doubt regarding tlic
Duke's title, confirmed the grant under date July 29tli, 1674.

Under date of June 24tli, 1GG4, tke Duke of York sold what is now
New Jersey to Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret, confirming this
title July 29th, 1674.

July 1st, 1676, Lord Berkley and Sir George Cai-teret divided New
Jersey into two sections, called East and West New Jersey, by a line
drawn from Little Egg Harbor to a point on the Delaware, in Latitude
41 degrees 40 minutes. Lord Berkley having West New Jersey and
Sir George Carteret East New Jersey.

East New Jei-sey alone touches the Town of Ramapo; therefore it
will require some f mther notice.

June 13th, 1680, Sir George Carteret died, directing in his will that
East New Jersey should be sold to pay his debts; this was done, Feb. 2nd,
1682. William Penn and eleven associates, called the twelve proprie-
tors, being the purchasers. Each of these took a partner and thus was
constituted the body known as the Twenty-four Proprietors of East New
Jersey. March 14th, 1682, the Duke of York made a new gTant of
East New Jersey to the Twenty-four Proprietors. The office of the
East New Jersey Proprietors was and still remains at Perth Amboy.

On December 10th, 1709, Peter Somans, representing himself as
Sole Agent, Superintendent, General Attorney and Receiver General
of the rest of the Proprietors, but really only one of them as heir to liis
father Aerent, conveyed to John Aboineau, E. Bondinot, Peter Fan-
conier, L. Kierstcd, John Barbaric, Thomas Barjaux, Andrew Eresman
and Peter Bard, 42,500 aeres in Northern New Jei'sey, lying between
the Ramapo and Saddle Rivers, and called the Ramapo Tract. This
tract extends from the moimtains on the west side of the Ramapo river
to the east side of the Saddle river, the north line cutting across the
Ramapo Pass a little northwest of the Railroad Bridge near Ramapo
Works, and in its course eastward passing to the north of Union Hill at
Suifcm and of Tallman's Station to the headwaters of the Saddle river,
thence following that stream southward to the mouth of Hohokus creek,
from thence westward to Pompton Falls at the Steel Works, and thence
nortliward along the easterly brow of the Ramapo Mountains to the
starting Point.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 475

On ISTovember 6th, 1Y24, Peter Fanconier, Jolin Barbarie & Com-
pany sold to John Zobrisco, G30 acres near the present Talhnan's Sta-
tion. Several years later the proprietors compromised with bona fide
settlers on this tract, for twenty pounds per 100 acres, and on Febni-
ary 4th, 1744, Peter Fanconier conveyed all his remaining interest in
the Ramapo tract to Theodore Balleaii and David Stout, and on Aug.
10th, 1752, they conveyed the same to Magdeline Valleau, daughter
of William Fanconier. The following year, March 29th, 1753, the
East ASew Jersey Proprietors granted Magdeline Yalleau 900 acres on
condition that she release her claim to the remainder of the tract. By
these several transactions the fraudulent grants of Peter Sonians were
disposed of and the Twenty-four Proprietoi-s regained their rights.

On May 23rd, 1753, she conveyed to Conrad Wanamaker 105 acres
of the 900 just gTanted her. ' In 1762, on February 12th, David Acker-
man, who in some unknown way had obtained the same from the pro-
prietors of East New Jersey, sold a mill right of about an acre to Jacobus
VanBuskirk. The VanBuskirk grant is in the village of Suiiern, near
Jud^e Tilton's. When at leng-th, in 1774, the line between New York
and New Jersey was finally established, these three purchases were con-
finned by the Government of New York.

Having shown how the grants to Zabrisco, Conrad Wanamaker and
Van Buskirk were obtained within this vacant territory, we shall trace
the balance of it, following Mr. Cobb quite literally:

On January 18th, 1775, the King granted patents to four reduced
officers of the British Anny, James Marcus Provost, Robert Ilan-is,
Jacob MuUer and Peter Spence. These were all patented the same date
and came just within the limit as the Constitution of the State of New
York provided that all grants of land Avithin the State by the King of
Great Britain or his representatives, after the 14th day of October in
that year, should be void. These wei'e laid out by David Coldcn jmr-
siiant to a warrant from Lieutenant-Ciovernor Colden.

THE PROVOST PATENT.

This patent begins in the New Jersey line, 7 chains and 43 links
eastward from the ninth mile-stone from the Hudson river, ruiuiiug
thence along the line of Honan & Howden or Kakiat Patent north 25
degrees 40 minutes, 335 chains and 30 links to a white oak tree cominou-

476 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ly called "John Wood's Tree," thence north 60 degrees 37 minutes west
198 chains; thence south 45 degrees, west GO chains and GO links; thence
north 54 degrees 10 minutes west 77 chains; thence 35 degrees 50 min-
utes west 73 chains to the N^ew Jersey line, then south 54 degTces 10
minutes east 579 chains to the point of beginning. 5,000 acres.

The southeast corner of this tract is southeast of Monsey, the north-
east corner is about one-half mile northeast from Tallman's Station at
a point where lands of the late John Young and Martin Fresnan join.
The northwest corner is the rear of houses of the Ramapo Iron Works
in East Ilillburn, and the southwest comer is in the State line on the
mountain south of Hillburn.

From this grant are excepted the Zobrisko tract of G30 acres, which
covei-s the hamlet of Tallmans, the one-acro mill right of VanB^iskirk
is in the village of Suffern, near Judge Tilton's house, and the Conrad
Wanamaker tract of 105 acres, and includes all of Suffern and part of
Ilillbuni.

The description of the Harris Patent begins at John AVood's tree and
runs along the west line of the Kakiat Patent north 40 degrees west 247
chains and GO links, thence south 45 degrees west 205 chains to the
north boiuids of the Provost tract, thence along the same south GO
degrees 77 minutes east 198 chains, to the place of beginning and con-
tained 2,000 acres.

If we draw a line from the John Wood's Tree (which as previously
stated is about one-half mile northeast from Tallman's Station) northerly
to a point near the residence of the late Elias G. Sherwood, thence west-
erly across the valley of the Mahwah (Moway), to a point a little up
from the base of the mountain, thence southwesterly along the face of
the mountain to the Provost Patent line, al)out oppc»ite the residence
of the late Henry T. Young, and thence easterly along the Provost Pat-
ent line to our starting point, we should describe the territory embraced
in the Harris Patent and one of the most attractive sections of the town
of Ramapo.

The Muller Patent is thus described: Beginning in the Xew Jer-
sey line at the southwesterly corner of tlie Provost Tract 11 chains and
57 links westward from the ICth milestone and ninning along the lands
laid out for James Marcus Provost, north 35 degrees 50 minutes east
73 chains and south 54 degrees 10 minutes 23 chains, thence north 3G

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 477

degrees 160 chains, tliencc north 54 degrees 10 minutes west 142 chains
and 40 links, thence south 36 degrees west 233 chains to the New Jersey
line, thence along the same soiith 54 deg. 10 min. 119 chains and 60
links to the point of beginning, containing 3,000 acres. This tract takes
in the greater part of what is now the village of Hillbnrn, Eaniapo, and
the nionntains on both sides of the valley up to about the Sterling
Eailroad.

The Spence tract is described as follows:

Beginning in the New Jersey line at the most westerly coiTier of the
Mullcr tract 28 chains and 83 links eastward from the 18th milestone
running from thence along the westerly bounds of Muller's tract north
36 deg. east 233 chains, thence north 54 deg. 10 min. west 59 chains and
60 links; thence south 50 deg. west 185 chains, thence south 12 deg.
east 40 chains to Potague (Negro) Pond, thence along the same pond
south 35 deg. west 27 chains to the New Jei-sey line; thence along the
same south 54 deg. 10 min. east 74 chains and 33 links, to the place of
beginning. (1820).

The Spence Patent covered the most of the lands in the northwest
angle of the town, including Negro and Sheppard Ponds sections; Sloats-
bm'gh and a portion of Stony Brook Valley.

Each of the patentees were required to yield and pay yearly
to the King, through his representatives in New York, the yearly rent of
two shillings and six pence sterling, after the 18th day of January, 1785,
on every 100 acres, and in proportion for a less amount.

The Kevolution disposed of the rights of the Crovsni, which passed to
the State, and the last clause in these grants gave lise to claims of the
State for quit rents which were exacted for many years and which were
finally commuted by the payment of 14 shilling's gi-oss, for every shilling
of yearly rout.

On the 5th day of April, 1775, James Marcus Provost sold his entire
patent for two hundred pounds to Robert Morris, John Delancey and
John Zabriskie, and on June 4th, 1776, John Zabriskie sold his interest
to Morris and Delancy for two hundred poimds.

The Harris, Muller and Spence patents came into the possession of
these two gentlemen in like manner, they thus becoming the source of
all valid titles to land in these tracts.

478 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

This John Zabrisco or Zabriskio was probably a son of Albert
Saboroweski, who eniigTated from Poland to America in the Dutch ship
"Fox" in 1662, and settled at Ilackeusack and Avas the progenitor of the
numerous and influential family of that name in New York city, Long
Island and New Jersey.

Eobert Moms was the financier of the Revolution and signer
of the Declaration of Independence. At one time he pledged his per-
sonal credit for supplies for the army to the amount of $1,400,000.00,
but in later veal's became invoh'cd in land speculations which resulted
niinously, and the last years of his life were spent in confinement for
debt. John Delancy belonged to the brilliant family of that name in
New York city.

Besides Messrs. Moms and Delancy, John Jay and Lawrence Kt)rt-
right became joint owners of these tracts, their several interests being:
Eobert Morris, 3-11; John Delancy, 4-11; John Jay, 2-11, and Law-
i-ence Kortright, 2-11. Kortright seems to have held one of his elevenths
in trust for John Harper of Harpersfield, Montgomery coimty. John
Suffem was a large purchaser of these lands and acted as agent on the
groimd and later held an interest as one of the joint owners, having pur-
chased Harper's interest.

After these tracts had been disposed of there still remained in the
extreme west and northwest part of the town, land to be accounted for,
which was done by the LegLslatiire of the State of New York by an act
passed March 28th, 1800, as follows:

Whereas, John Hattrom, Peter Townsend, William Hans, Hezckiah
Mead, Samuel Drew, Ezra Sanford, James McCann, William Booth,
Daniel Benedict, Abner Paterson, William Ellis, David Sandford,
Thomas Sandford, David Hawkins, Samuel Ketchum, Hany Wisner,
Ileni-y Bush, Samiiel Bush, Abram Smith, John Smith, Adolphus
Shuart, Nicholas Conklin, John Becraft and John Jenkins, by their pe-
tition presented to the Legislature have stated that they are settled on
and have improved in Orange coimty (which at the time the petition was
made included Rockland county) under the proprietors of the Patent of
Wawayanda, which lands have been adjudged to be unpatented and to
belong to the people of the State, and are included with other lands not
settled or improved, as aforesaid, within the following boundaries, to
wit: southerly by the State of New Jersey; noi-therly by a line (the Gore

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 479

line) running from tlie tliirty-first (31st) mile-stone in the line of divis-
ion, between this State and the State of New Jersey to a moniimcnt
erected by Commissioners at the northwest comer of a tract of land
granted to Daniel Honan and Michael Howden, called Kakiat, and east-
erly and southerly by patented land, and by their said petition have
prayed that they may be quieted in their said possession and to purchase
in addition thereto such other quantity of vacant land within the boun-
daries aforesaid, and on such terms as the Legislature shall direct.

Therefore, be it enacted by the people of the State of New York re^v
resented in the Senate and Assembly that it shall and may be la^vful for
the Surveyor General to grant to each of the petitioners above named,
the estate, rights, title and interest of the people of this State, of, in and
to the lands improved by them respectively with such other vacant land
within said boundaries of not less than one hundred (100) acres, and not
more than four hundred (400) acres, including their respective improve-
ments, they paying therefor, not less than the sum of twenty-five cents
(25c.) per acre.

By this Act was the whole so-called vacant section brought under
valid title either by the Cro\vn or by the State.

Following additional lands sold according to an old document:

Acres.

Dorrethy Campbell 124-2 0

Matice JBarbaro 192-2 7

Yo6t Buskirk 61-3 15

A^acant 40-0 0

Jacob and Anthony May 116-2 30

Frozinger 23-2 0

Darrick Wanamaker 144-2 15

Gan-at xickennan 203-1 30

Philip Fox 177-0 0

John Shuirts 75-3 30

Widow SLxco 105-2 20

Adam Dater 99-3 0

Sam'l SLxco 104-0 0

Joseph Conklin 160-0 46

Lodweek Shomaker 91-1 30

Joseph Conklin 44-0 20

Peter Fredrick 240-0 05

480 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Hendrick Wanainaker 211-0 77

Nicholas Carlougli 166-0 00

Joliu Suffem 322-0 00

Lawrence V Buskirk 317-2 2

Ilciulriek Eslcr 101-0 8

John Siitfeni 27-3 0

Peter Easterly 7-0 0

for meeks . f 94-0 0

John Suffem 260-0 0

Adolphus Wanamaker, fredr 50-0 0

Thomas Banta 82-2 0

Martin Bush 20-2 4

On the reverse side of the above document we find the follo\\'iug:

"Acres.
142 to Shuirts; Smith, Jolm; John Sh.itt, Gilbert. Smith.

Land Sold by

Morris & Delancy."

Although there is little accurate information regarding the subject,
still we have evidence that many of the names now familiar in this part
of our town were rej^rcsented here at a date much earlier than the pat-
ents of Provost and Harris were gi-anted, or than at which the boimdary
between N^ew York and Xew Jersey was finally esta,blished. It is prob-
able that many settlers about the section of which Suffern is the center
thought they had sumo sort of title from East New Jersey. The follow-
ing will shed some light on this, and is of interest for that reason as well
as from the fact that it is the first agreement for the purchase of land by
one who became the owner of so much:

"Article of agTeement made this fifteenth day of May in the thir-
teenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third by
the Grace of God, King of Great Britain France & L-eland &c and in the
year of our Lord Christ one Thousand Seven HTindrctl and seventy
Three Between Conrad Fredrick Senor of the Toneship of Frenklin in
the County of Bargain and Eastern Division of New Jersey of the one
part t% John Sufl^ern of the County & Province aforesaid witnesscth

the siiid Conrad Fredrick Senor for & Inconsidcration of the smn of five-
Pounds CuiTant Lawful money to him in Hand Paid before the Inseal-
ing & Delivering of These Presents the Pecept of which he Doth Eck-

TOWN OF RAMAPO, 481

nowledge himself to be full Ly Contented & paid of and from Every
Part aud Pericele thereof Do Sell all his Eight Title and Intrest of Pos-
sessuon or Claim thereto by Leace or othenviso to the said John Sufferu
and his heirs and assigns for ever all that Certain said Lott or Pericele of
Laud Belonging to Lott Now in Eamapo Patton or Between the New
and old Jersey Lines & to the Northward of the fence along the Kings
lload as the Road now Runs beginning at a small Blackoak Tree in the
fence of Conrad fredrick to the sovithward of the Road and Runing cross
the Road with a Direct North Line till it strikes Peter easterlys lino
thence westerly as the Lott line Runs till it comes in a direct Line mth
a black oak Tree and a staik in the fence both marked wath Three notches
with all and singuler the Premises the said Conrad Fredrick Do aquite
and forever Quit claim to the said John SufFem and his heirs for ever &
assigns B^it it is fiu-ther understood by these Presents that if the sjiid
Conrad Fredrick him or his heirs or assigns should Purchase the Lott
out of which this small Lott belongs from any of the Proprietoi-s of the
Land that he she or they Shall whenever Demanded of them after they
have gott a deed in fee simple for the Said Lott that then he she or the
shall give as good a deed in Avriting to the Said John Suffcrn his heirs or
assigns as he she or they shall or may have for the Heirs said John Suf-
feru paying in Proportion for his as the do for their writings & survay on
Penalty of paying all the Damages that may occur in Witness whereof
we the above parties hereunto Set oiu* hands and seals the day and year
above writteen.

Sealed & Delivered in presents of us
his
Conrad X Frederick Jun'r

mark
Thomas Boggs. Conrad Friedrick.

On the reverse side of the original of the above document is wintten
the following:

"It is Likewise understood by the within wi-iting that the fence of
Conrad Fredrick Sen'r Shall Stand where it is and is his full Property
and will not Give any of the Road."

Article of Land

Haverstraw Mountain.

482 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

On September 21st, 1739, Charles Clinton, in liis journey from Van
Dusers in the Clove to Edward Jeffer's near the 9tli milestone obsei-ved
near Suffem, houses and settlements on every side. On the Zabrisco
tract near Tallmans he saw the house of Samuel Francisco and those of
Solomon Peterson and his brother Jacob, all three free negroes.
Further to the westward he must have seen the stone house of
Philip Voi-s (Fox) built in 1726, which stood near the 14th milestone,
where the house of David Fox now stands. The foundation of this old
house forming a part of the present structure now o^vned and occupied
by Mr. David Fox.

There is no doubt that this Philip Vers was the first settler in this
part of the town; he built his first house about 1700.

Entering the Clove, John SufPem was the first purchaser of what is
now the village bearing his name, as well as of the ten-itory of Hillbum
as far up as the railroad bridge across the Eamapo river. In this was a
small section which had been occupied by John Jenkins, which was lo-
cated in a cove of the east mountain now known as East ITIllburn.

Of the part which includes Eamapo and Sloatsburgh, ]\Ir. Cobb tells
us that one John Van Blarcum purchased of "the natural and lawful In-
dian proprietors of all the lands lying on both sides of the Eamapo river"
400 acres English measure, and that this tract passed into the hands of
Isaac Van Duser and was sold by him to Samuel Sidman, from whom the
name of the pass "Sidman's Clove" is derived. At the death of Samuel
Sidman the west part of this tract came into the possession of his son-in-
law, John Smith, and was sold by him to John Suffern in 1789, resen'ing
in the deed 5 acres, the eastern part of the Van Blarcum tract came into
the ownership of John and Joseph Brown. This tract was sold by them
to John Suffem, who completed his title by purchasing the rights of
Morris & Delancy and associates. Lewis and John Shuart purchased
from the Indians a tract on the west side of the Eamapo river at the rail-
road bridge; their stone house stood a short distance beyond the river
until the Erie Eailroad in 1852 built its double track, when it was taken
down to accommodate changes which the railroad then made in its line.

"We now come to the upper end of the valley within the town which
includes Sloatsburgh. For this we go back to a deed given by the Indi-
ans to "Wynant VanGelder and which is in the possession of Mr. Henry

#T^^

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 483

K. Sloat, and is probably the only original deed in existence from the In-
dians for land ^vithin the town. As a relic it deserves to be republished
and is here copied from Mr. Cobb's histoiy and is as follows:

"Whereas I, Manis, Wacken, Sewes, Ayco, ISTakama, Being by all
uatnre proprietor of a certain tract of Land Laying at a plas caled Pot-
hat Beginning at a Eok so alan the moutan to a wit oak tree marked on
fewer sids from dans all alalang the Lyn of John Van Blarcom's ws to
a Black oak tree marked from dans krans the Rever to brok by an austree
standin on the est side of Brook, from dans all alalang the brok against
the strem to a wit pin tree marked on for sied from dans to a brok agiust
the strem to a hakkerre tree marked on for sids from dans allang the
montain to the bons of Ysack Van Dusen to a blak oak tree marked, from
dans allang the ling of Ysack to a rok waer it first began, and have from
generation to generation held the same in peaceable and quit possession
mollestation of any poina or potantate whatsoever, now Bee it know unto
all people and nations unto whom this present Writing Shall or may
Come that I the said Manis by the ConSent of my friends and Relations
as our manner is, viz, Wacken, Sawes, Ayco, nakama, have given grand-
ded and freely Conveyed and for Dives good causes, valueble Considera-
tion thirunto esyenally moveing freely fully and obsolutely give grant
and make over unto Wynnant Vangelder of the County of Bergen and
province of East New Gersey Subject to the good and great king of Eng-
land our Royal friend and Alie and their heirs and assig-nss for Ever all
that piece or percell of the above mentioned Land butted and bounded
with all and Singiilar its Rights titles and previlegdges and appertaing
with all ponds, pools, medows, marshes swamp brook creeks coves wattcrs
watter courses woods under woods timber timber trees Stonse and quar-
ies of stons ways passages Eastments proffits Commodias whatsoever as
hawing fishing fowling to have and to hold the Said Land and pi'emiscs
with all and Singular the before mentioned appurtancces unto the said
Wynnant Vangelder his heirs their heirs and assigns for Ever and we the
Said ]\ranis, Wacken, Sewes, Ayco, TvTakama do for ourselves and our
beirs and every of us Covenant grant and agree to and with the Said
Wynnant Van Gelder his heirs and assigns the peaceable and quiet pos-
session of the above granted land and premises -with their appurtenances
and Ever>^ part and percell against all person and persons Lawfully
Claiming any Right or title in and to the Same not at all questioning the

484 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

good King of England in his gi-eat justice liis Eattifiein and Confirming
the same to the use wee hereby intand and not other whatsoever.

In testimony where of we have according to the English manner set
our hands and fixed our seels tliis the 7th day of March in the year of
our Lord and Saviour 1737-8 and in the Eleventh year of the Raigne
of our Soveraigne Lord the goo<l and great King of England gargc the
Saxkoud over England Scotland france and Irland defend of the faith.
Sealed and delivered in present of us

Abram Leron

Ms
Ma A nis (s)
mark
^ his

Wac-Tan (s)
mark
her his

Annagc X Leron Se O WeS (s)

mark mark

his
Ag D lo (s)
mark
his
ISTaka L Wa (s)
mark
The good King of England did not, in his gTeat justice, ratify
and confirm this gTant, for the Cro^vm issued Letters Patent for all the
lands in this part of the Ramapo Valley, including those covered by this
imique deed, to Jacob Muller and Peter Spence.

Wynant Van Gelder conveyed this tract to his son-in-law, Isaac Van
Duscr, Jime 13th, 1747. Van Duser was probably the first settler in
the Ramapo Valley, for Janies Clinton, while making his siirvcy of
Cheesecock's Patent makes not^e that he lodged with Van Duser in ye
Clove, September 21st, 1739.

Van Duser conveyed the tract on June 3rd, 1763, to his son-in-law,
Stephen Sloat. The last two conveyances were made by assignments on
the original deed. The first was witnessed by David Ogdcn and Peter
Cloover, the second by Thomas VanBuskirk and George Dearman.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 485

The fii-st settlers in the Hempstead section were the members of the
company of men who in 1711 purchased the north moiety of Kakiat pat-
ent. They were ahuost all from Queens county, Long Island. The fii-st
one to arrive was Abram Denton, a descendant of Daniel Denton, who
about 1660 wi-ote the fii-st description of the Province of jSTew York.
He was followed by Jonathan and Joseph Seaman. Otliere of this com-
pany were Chas. Mott, William and John Osborne, sons of Thomas Os-
' borne; John and Joseph Wood and Cornelius Cooper, who was the son
of Klass Jans Van Purvament, one of the early Dutch settlers of Tap-
pan. His trade was that of a cooper. Hence his name, Cornelius Klaa-
sen, Cuyper or Cornelius, son of Klass, the Cooper. Guisbert, son of
Cornelius Cooper, was the father of Gilbert and Theunis Cooper, who
were so prominent in the affairs of our town.

The ubiquitous Irishman was there also, in the person of William
Smith, Esq. His tombstone is in "Brick Church" Cemetei-y, on which
it is stated that he was bom March 17th, 1745 O. S., died September
23rd, 1794. He was raised to the Sublime degree of a Royal Arch Ma-
son in his youtli. His conduct through life manifested that his princi-
ples were truly Republican. The site of his house is shown on Ei-skine's
map of the old King's road between SufEem and Haverstraw. It is sur-
mised that it was his son Frederick Smith who erected, in 1787, the old
stone house standing about a mile northeast of the "Brick Chiirch," in
which Nelson Hopkins formerly lived. Mr. Hopkins was a descendant
of Stephen Hopkins, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Other dates found on tombstones at this church are these :

Hauues Smith, died Sth 1794, aged 79 y, 4 m and 2 d.

Dr. Nicholas Slype, born in Dort, Holland, February IStli, 1763;
died Api-il 16th, 1817.

Jacobus Waldrou, died Dec. 2nd, 1814, aged four-score years.

Aaron Blauvelt, born Sept. 12th, 1738; died March Sth, 1801.

Cornelius A. Blauvelt, died Feb. 25th, 1843; aged, 76 y. 4 m. 1 d.

James Onderdonk, born July 20th, 1752; died Aug. 16th, 1806.

Adrian Onderdonk, died Oct. 12th, 1818, aged 86 y. 7 m. 26 d.

Adrian Onderdonk, Jr., died Jan. 31st, 1835, aged 78 y. 9 m. 26 d.

The family of Onderdonk so prominent in our town are all descended
from Adrian Onderdonk, a contemporary with Charles Mott, who lived
in Jamaica, Long Island, in 1711.

486 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY

In 1724 John "VanBlarcom purchased 400 acres from the Indians in
Ramapo Clove.

The following is a copy of a memorandum lately found among the
papers of John Suffcrn, and mil throw light on the early sales in the
territory embraced in these tracts as well as others:

Acres

Barn. Fushier 03 30-100.

David Eckerson 219-1- 20

Sara'l Banta 150-2- 0

Peter Eckerson 143-1- 20

David Eckerson 135-0- 0

V. lilarcom 3-0- 20

Conrad Wanamaker 46-0- 16

ITendrick Shulters 92-3- 0

John Bush 259-2- 0

Anthony Crouber 105-3- 30

John Post 74-2- 15

N'o oner 25-0- 35

EAMAPO m THE REVOLUTION.

The situation of Rockland coiinty, lying as it does at the southern
base of the Highlands and bordered on its east side from the Xew Jei-sey
line at Sneden's Landing, opi>osite Dobbs Feny, to a point a short dis-
tance south of West Point, by the Hudson river, and on the south by
the oiwn country of ISTorthern Xew Jersey, which last was often occupied
by parties of British, and their friends, the royalists, made it peculiarly
subject to raids. The possession of the Highlands, natural fortifications
as they were, was guarded with the greatest solicitude by leadei-s of the
American forces.

Through these natm-al fortifications were three breaks or passes.
The central and most important one was, of course, the Hudson river;
the eastern one was from Peekskill across the hills into Dutchess county,
and the third was the Ramapo valley, whiph was the highway on the
western side between lower Orange county and New Jersey and all the
country north of the Higldands as far up as Albany and beyond.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 487

Tliis valley is in Revolutionary correspondence referred to as tlie
Clove, Sidman's Pass, Sydman's Clove, Eamapough Pass, Eamapo Clove
and Eamapo. Eamapo was sj^elled in various ways, according to tlie
ideas of the writers, but Eamapough was the most general. In its gen-
eral course this valley is i>arallel to that of the Hudson river and is in
direct line distant from it from 14 to 16 miles, and is about 16 miles in
leng'th ; that is, from Suffern, which is at its southern entrance, to where
it opens out into the cultivated country of Orange county, between
Arden and Turners Stations, it is about 16 miles. The lower five miles
of tliLs clove or pass crosses the entire width of the town of Eamapo.

It must be remembered that Eockland county was, in its early his-
tory, a part of Orange county, and was at that time the most pojjulous
portion of that county.

Through this valley flows the Eamapo river, which has its source in
a pretty little lake near the village of Monroe, and flowing southward
collects the waters of several mountain lakes and streams. At SufEem it
crosses into jSTew Jersey, where a short distance south of the line it
receives the waters of the Mahwah, fonnerly called the Haverstraw, and
following along the east base of the' New Jersey Highlands to Pompton,
joins the Passaic river.

It was at a very early date in the war that this section received
notice from those in authority on the American side and measures were
taken to fortify and defend the pass. In Eevolutionary correspondence
the locality of these works is referred to as Sidman's Bridge, it being
near where the old post road crossed the Eamapo river, a short distance
below the residence of Samuel Sidman, who was one of the early set-
tlers in the valley. The works here consisted of two lines of intrcnch-
ments and a small redoubt or fort. The location of the fort is shown on
Erskine's map and was somewhere near the site of the present Pierson
homestead.

The one line of intrenchments is still in good preservation on the
east side of the river, about one hundred yards below the railroad bridge,
and the second line, also in good state of preservation, is on the west
side and across a naiTow pass between a separate mountain spur and the
main range. Behind these lines is smooth and moderately level land,
and here were built comfortable log houses for the troops and stores.

488 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Under date of Nov. 21st., 1776, Colonel Jedadiali Huntington, in
command of a Pennsylvania regiment, writes to his son :

"I am now at Sedman's Bridge, on Ramapo river, in Precinct of
Haverstraw, Orange county, New York, twenty miles in a southwesterly
direction from Peekskill, on Hudson's river, 20 miles from Hackensack
town, which lies on the river of that name that empties its waters into
Newark Bay, about ten miles below Hackensack town. We hear to-day
that the enemy are at Hackensack new bridge, about two miles below
the town, and that our army have taken up the bridge to prevent their
passage. I expect to be stationed in this place all winter. Have orders
to build baiTacks for my men, which I am doing with logs. They make
homely, but very warm habitations. Your uncle David was glad to
sleep in them in his journey to Susquehanna. I am in good health."

It seems worth while to enlarge somewhat on the history of this post
in view of the importance attached to its defence by Gen. Washington,
Gen. George Clinton and others in aiithority. This will be done mainly
by quotations from "The Public Pajiers of George Clinton." The
earliest reference we have to this is in a letter of George Clinton to Gen.
Heath, which is dated:

Eamapough, 1st of January, 1776.
Dear General: — I liave been greatly distressed since you left this
(juartor; when I arrived at this post I found there was not sufficient sup-
ply of provisions. The commissary had not been notified of our com-
ing and of coui-se had provided only for the ordinary number of the
GaiTison. This and other causes too tedious to mention greatly Dis-
gusted the Militia and occasioned many to go home much displeased.

A number of the enemy soon after arrived at Hackensack, amount-
ing to between 5 and 800, consisting of Regulars and Buskirk's Reg-
iment, imprisoned and otherwise insulted the few friends we left there
and soon after to Pyramus, plundered some of the Inliabitants of that
place and took the Hoppers aiid others of that neighborhood, who are
now confined in Hackensack Goal, and have since committed many Acts
of Cniclty on tlie Inhabitants. I keep out large patrolling parties every
night in that neighborliood for tlio Protection of the Inliabitants, but
the enemy have so good Intelligence of our thoughts and every motion
that it is beyond my power to give protection to the well disposed inhal>

^?^-^

TOWN OF RAMAPO. . 489

itants in any other way than by routing the Enemy from their present
Quarters, wliich I have hitherto not had strength to attempt with a prob-
ability of success.

The Militia are now, however, daily returning with spirit to their
duty and had I only a couple of Field Pieces I flatter myself I should be
able to drive the Rebels out of this Quarter of the Country. I begg
tlierefore, my Dear Sir, that you will be good enough to order Capt.
Bryan and Lieut. Jackson to join me with two Field Pieces assigned to
my former Brigade, in which case I have no reason to doubt but I shall
be able to attack these pamcides with success; at all events I dare be
answerable for the safety of the artillery. If you indulge me in tliis
request, the sooner the greater probability of siiccess. I am with C!om-
pliments of the Season and Due Respect,

Your Affectionate, Humble Serv't.,

GEORGE CLINTON.

I have certain Accounts just now receiveil that the Enemy are GOO
strong; on Sim day tliey had no Artillery, but have sent for Three Pieces.

Under date of Ramapough, 23rd of December, 1776, General Clin-
ton \\Tites to the convention concerning the lack of arrangements to
supply his trooi>s at that place with provisions. Whole regiments had
for days been without any except such scanty supplies as they have been
able to pixrchase from the inhabitants. That Tyler's and Huntington's
Pennsylvania troops were there, but would leave in a day or two.

He adds: "The Militia think they are ill used and I am sorry to say
that in my opinion they have great Reason to complain. They declare
they will go home & leave me. Many have already gone, nor can I
expect but that the rest \vill Ix^ as good as their word. Indeed, they
must desert or staiwe & howe'r well disposed they Avill not submit to
the latter."

Again on the same dat-e and from the same place, he UTites to Col.
Hathorn as follows:

"Dear Sir: — I have received yours of this day's date and approve of
3'our conduct in drawing your force into one compact body above the

490 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

meeting of the three roads. I had received this morning Intelligence
from Hackeusack neai'ly agreeing with yours, but doubted the truth of
it. I have ordered Col. Hombeck's Regiment to Clarksto-mi; they are
there before this and "will be able to sustain you. I begg you will keep
out large scouting Parties who will not only prevent your being sur-
prised, but give Protection to the Inhabitants. I doubt not you will re-
ceive the Enemy properly should they come your way. I am,

Your Most Obedient,

GEO. CLINTON.
You must try to supply yourselves with provisions a few days, when
I hope we shall be provitled regularly by a Conuuissaiy, as I have -wrote
to Convention in a most pressing Manner on the subject. I have 2 com-
panies at Pyramiis this day. If they make any discoveries you shall
hear from me & I begg you will give me the Earliest Intelligence of
every new discovery you make of the Disposition and Strength of the
Enemy.

Under date of December 28th, 1776, he wrote from Ramapough that
he was at that moment honored with the commands of the Convention.
That he was son-y that he could not have dismissed such of the Militia
whose families were greatly distressed by their absence. That it was
now too late, they had gone ^\'itllout leave. He writes: "I made the
most of the little influence added to the authority I had over them t<)
induce them to continue, but it was in vain & it is with pain I repeat it
such numbers have deserted me that if I continue the regiments I have
at Orange Town (& it would be cruel to call them from thence and
leave the inhabitants exposed to the Enemy), I can't be answerable for
tlie Defence of this Post, especially in our scattered situation, oecupNang
a compass of more than six miles round; and this is unavoidable as there
is not a single barrack finished for the troops to live in & the weather too
cold to lay in tents and tho' there is a Redoubt & line so far compleated
as to be well defended, we have not a single piece of Artilleiy."

Letter of Major Pawling to Major Jansen:

Ramapough, December 26th, 1776.
D'r. Sir: — I am directed to order you to move Regiment under your
command as near this Place as you can conveniently quarter them. The

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 491

houses from Severyn's Tavern at this Phice down to Kakiate are not
occupied by any other troops. I would have you be as expeditious on
yovir March as possible.

From Sir Your Friend & Hub'l Serv't.,

ALBEET PAWLING,
To Major Jansen. Major of Brigade.

General Clinton to Colonel Day:

Eamapough, Dec'r. 26th, 1776.

Sir: — I am just now credibly informed that about 500 of the Enemy
consisting of Highlanders and Busldvcrks of New Tory Levies entered
Hackeusack & committed many Acts of Cruelty on the few well dis-
posed Inhabitants of that Place, and unless proper Measm-es are speedily
taken to prevent, it is more than probable they will extend their Depre-
dations to the Adjacent jSTeighborhoods. I am stationed here with Part
of the Militia of the Coimties of Ulster and Orange, of the State of New
York, & principally intended to giiard the Passes of the Highlands. At
the same time to overawe the disaffected Inhabitants. This I am heartily
disposed to do; but my Numbers are too small to effect it — I am obliged
to extend my Guards to Orange Town & Cloister (Closter), which so
scatters my Force that I have not sufficient Numbers left to march out
against the Enemy, consistent with the safety of the Passes I have most
particvilarly in Charge. I submit it to you. Sir, whether the Militia of
your County in this Quarter ought not to be immediately Called out &
embodied for their own Defence, in which case I will add such strength
to tliem from my Brigade as will be Competent for driving those Par-
acides o^it your Country. I believe many of your People will cheerfully
join us if ordered, which I wish may be speedily done.

I am your Most Obed't Serv't.,

To Colonel Theunis Dav. G. C.

MILITIA ORDERED TO TAPPAN.

Sir: — I am directed by General George Clinton to order you imme-
diately to embody your Regiment and IMarch down to Tappan (leaving

492 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY..

such whose absence ^vill be greatly injurious to their Families and Inter-
est at Home) and there wait for further ordei's. Col. Dye, of Bergen
Comity, has been requested to call out & embody his Militia, who has
given tlie jSTecessary orders for that Purpose.

I am your Humb'e Servant,

ALBEET PAWLING,

Major of Brigade.
Dec. 28th, 177G, Eamapough.

Extract of letter from Gen. Clinton to Col. Tustcn:

Eamapough, 30th Decembei', 1776.
D'r. Sir: — .... I had scouting parties last night and night
before below Pyramus; that of last night is just returned; the Intelli-
gence they have received of the Enemy at Hackensack differs exceed-
ingly from yours; the highest don't make their whole Numbers, includ-
ing Tories, exceed 500, & indeed many not near the least Kuuilier.
However, it is good to guard ag-ainst the most & by all means prevent
Surprise by keeping out Day & Night Patrolling Parties far advanced,
& vigil centries. I have ordered out the Militia of Orange on the south
side of the Mountains to reinforce you, & I wrote Colo. Heathorn inpow-
ering you to meet & make any new Disposition of the Different Eegts.
in yoiir Quarter you might jiidge Necessary, which is all I can do at
present. It is not my fault; I can't do more. Had the Militia turned
out & continued with me, we could have drove these Parracides out of
the Country, but alas many have basely deserted me. Genl. Wa.sliing-
ton's Army on the 27th attacked the Enemy at Trenton & took 919 pris-
oners, IC Brass Cannon; 1,300 stand of small arms, with many other
valuable stores; killed 50; with loss on our side of 3 only; this is true.

I am yoiirs sincerely,

GEO. CLINTON.

Col. Benj'n Tustcn.

Note — This date is wTong. The battle of Trenton was fought Dec.
26th, 1776.

TOWN OF KAMAPO. 493

Journal of ]\Iarch of Col. James McClayery's Eegiment in New
Jersey :

January 1, 1777.
A Journal of the Campain of Coll. James McCloughey Eegt. Down to

the Jersyes:

On Dec'r. 13th, 1776. Marched from Home and Quartered at June's,
in Smith's Clove.

14th, Marched over the Mountain and Quartered at Van llowlen's,
in New Hempstead.

15th, Made Eeturns.

16th, Procured Provisions.

17th, Got orders to March.

18th, Marched to Pyi-amus and Quartcr'd at Happers (Hoppertown).

19th, Sent a Detachment of 550 men, sent to English Neighbor-
hood out of our Eegt. 150.

20th, At Night Brought in 23 Toiyes, 19 stand of Anns, 1 Wagon
and 9 Horses.

21st, Nothing strange.

22nd, Marched to Eamerpugh, said night mounted a Cap'u. guard.

23rd, Nothing.

24th, Slautered Three fatt Cattle.

25th, General orders to give no more furlows, Several Capts. furlow
at their own Eisk; A Court Marehall held at Sufferance (Suffcrn's);
out of o\ir Eegt. Major Phillips and 5 Capt. ; at Night a scout Eequired,
consisting of 1 Maj'r & a Capt's guard; When Paraded orders Counter-
manded.

26th, Snow storm all day, clears up at night, Andrew McCord
appointed Quartermaster.

27th, A scout of 50 Men sent toward Hackensack for observation
out our Eegt.; they go as far as Pyramus Church. Eotum at Night,
Brings News the Enemy are within a few miles of that Place; Genr.
Clinton calls a counsel of war, Determines to send one Commissioned
officer out of each company to Bring Back the Deserters 6c the Eemain-
der of the Eeg-t. John Eobinson hat fashioned.

28th, One officer sent out of Each Company to Bring up Dellin-
quents and Deserters, to Eetum January 1st, 1777.

494 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Sunday, 29th, A scouting party of about 600 men, with 32 of the
Sopas Light Horse, sent under Major ; Made little or no dis-
covery; at Coll. McCloughry's Quarters we form a guard of Officers &
stand our turn as sentinels these two Xights past.

During this campaign of Gen. Clinton against the enemy in and
about Paramus and Hackensack and of which the Post at Kamapo was
the headquarters, he labored imder many discouragements and difficul-
ties. Scanty provisions for his troops, desertions and failure of levies to
respond were not all of them. He desired to wage an aggressive cam-
paign, and with this in view he asked Gen Heath for the loan of two
field pieces, which were refused him. Upon this refusal he wrote G«n.
Heath a sharp letter under date of 2nd Janiiaiy, 1777, in which he sums
up his disappointments and troubles in very plain language.

On January 4th, 1776, a General Court Martial was convened at
the house of "Mr. Sovereigns" (Suffem). Col. Elmendorf was the pres-
ident and Capt. Vail Judge Advocate. George Tongue and John Mac-
dole were brought before the Court charged with plundering on the late
expedition to Paramus and Hackensack. The verdict of the Court was
as follows: "And the Court is unanimously of the opinion that said
George Tongue with John Macdole took the blankets or nig through
ignorance, not knowing it was against orders and that they shall return
the said blankets or rug to Major Talor."

Seveiyn's (Suffern's) Tavern, near Eamapough
6th January, 1777.

General Clinton to Gen. Heath:

Dear General: — I came out here this morning intending to order the
Troops under my Command at this Place to immediately advance to Py-
ranius, with an intention the next Day to attack the Enemy at Hacken-
sack, in case the Field Pieces arrived by that time, one of which I intend
to have sent to Tappan, where, and at Cloister (Clostcr), more than one-
half of my Force is, to have fixed an Hour and attacked them on that &
tliis side at the same Instant, sending at the Same Time parties to the
East Side of the Ferry & on the Aquackanonk road to prevent their
escape. But I had not been here long before a Messenger arrived who
informed me that the Enemy yesterday Afternoon, apprehensive of an
attack (as they said), left the Toa\ti with the utmost Precipitation &
fright in three Parties, each taking different Kouts, to wit, one towards

THOMAS W. SUPFEBN.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 495

Acqiiackanonk, another by tlie FeiTy, and the Third through the Eng-
lish ISTeigliborhood. They have disappointed me exceedingly. I am
sure I could have destroyed the whole of them had they only continued
there two Days longer, or I been pi-epar'd so much sooner.

I have sent down a strong Party to possess the Town & secure such
stores as they may have left & bring in the Tories, who are much
dejected. They have released the Hoppers & other Inhabitants they
had in Prison. The enclosed Letter was wrote a few hours before they
fled & since delivered to me.

I am Your Most Obed't Serv't.,

(Gen. Heath.) GEOEGE CLINTON.

LTnder same date and from the same place Gen. Clinton writes to the
Provincial CongTess to the sa'me effect as the preceding, but adding
the news of the battles of Trenton and Princeton, and that General
Washington was going into winter quarters at Morristovvm.

Letter of Gen. B. Lincoln to Gen. Clinton:

Sunday (Jan., 1777).

Dear General :^ — The bearer. Coll. Sparhawk, commands the detach-
ment of Militia from Massach^isetts Bay ordered to join you. I should
not do you justice should I ask your notice of him, and that you would
gTant every indulgence to his corpse (sic) which the good of the service
M'ill admit; as that would suggest I entertained an idea that a different
mode of conduct could take place. I know I have said enough when I
inform you that these troops are to be under your particular direction.
They are lovers of freedom & are determined to fight in support of it.

I am, dear General, with most i>erfect regard and esteem.

General Clinton. B. LINCOLN.

Gen. Clinton to Col. Sparhawk:

Sir: — I am at this moment favored with advice of your arrival at
Ramepough by letter from my good Friend, Gen'l. Lincoln. The Eield
Pieces I would have in or near the little Redoubt on the other side of
Sydman's Bridge, at present the men belonging to them maj' Quarter
in the little Houses Near that Place. As to your Eegiment, as there
are yet no Barracks finished, you must get them in the Houses on this

4% HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

side of Severn's Tavern, where I understand you now are. I hope to
have the pleasure of seeing you to-morrow & am

Your Most Obed't Serv't.,

GEO. CLINTON.

To Colo. Sparhawk,

Pyramus, 7th Jan'y., 1777.

Peter Curtenius, who was a Commissary of Stores, ^vrites, Jan. 9th,
1777, to Gen. Clinton, who was at Mr. Sidman's house in the Clove,
giving a list of articles left at Hackensack when the British occupied
that town. Some of these belonged to the Continentals, some to the
State and others to himself. He asks the General in case the Americans
should recapture the town to look after these goods and if any should be
found to send them to Mr. Slot's. He adds that he has wi-itteu to Mr.
Jacob Zabriskie to take them in charge.

Mr. Slot referred to in above letter was Capt. Sloat of Sloatsburgh
and belonged to the Cornwall Co. of Orange County Militia.

Mr. Zabriskie was a noted patriot and was captured and im-
prisoned in New York, but nothing could break his fiery zeal for the
cause. He lived at (now) Areola, fomierly Red Mills, Paramus.

January 7th, 1777, Gen. Clinton wrote to Major Haring, of Tappan,
as follows:

Eamapough, Jan'y 7th, 1777.

D'r. Sir: — As the Enemy have left Hackinsack (as I am informed),
might not a light Party under an active OfHcer taking their lloiite by
Fort Lee surprise & take the Small Guards at Bull's Weihawk (Wee-
hawken) & Hobock (Hobocken) FeiTy, destroy the Boats, Hay, Wood
& Stores at those places & bring off the Horses? I think that Capt.
Johnson, who knows the Woods well, taking advantage of the night,
might effect it & I wish if you tt the Field Officers in your Quarter think
it practicable it might be attempted, in which case, however, towards the
Morning insuing the night the Attempt is to be made a Strong Covering
party should Advance down into the English Neighborhood. I must
see you here to-morrow with the Colonels in your quarter and am with
Esteem, Your Most Obed't Servant,

G. C.

Major John Harring.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 497

Col. Pawling to Gen. Clinton:

Eamapough, ITtli March, 1777.

Dear S'r: — Inclosed I send yoii the return of my Regini't. I have
sent ]\rajor Logan Do^vn (since the Receipt of yovir last) in order to Col-
lect all the crafts in the Hacbensack River, which I make no doubt is
done. Lieut. Broadbent is come down last week with Seven of Capt.
DeWitt's Company of Raingers, whether more will come I Don't know.
I intend the Lieut, and his men To Morrow to Morristown to guard a
Oupple of men I have Confined. The Duty of my Regiment is very
hard, but the Cheerfully Goes through the Fetigues, as they say their
time is short. I am Sir with Due Respects,

Your Most Huble Serv't.,

To General George Clinton. LEVI PAWLING.

About March 24th, 1777, a small British fleet made its way up the
Hudson and caused general alarm on both sides of the river, and Gen-
eral Clinton made a general call for Militia for the defence of the forts
on the Hudson and the works at Ramapough, and ordered a detachment
to Passaic Falls to intercept the Terries from Sussex county, who were
at the time extremely active in carrying supplies to the enemy. In con-
sequence of these movements. Col. Hathom with the Warwick Regiment
was sent to the post at Sidman's Bridge.

On April 23rd, Gen. Washing-ton informed Clinton from Momstown
that it was reported that Gen. Skinner with a force of about 1,000 Tories
and some British Regulars intended to proceed from Bergen through
Sussex county and the back part of Jerseys. Washington credited the
report, because, as he wrote, "It will give them access to a part of the
country most notoriously disaffected that I desire you will post a body of
Militia of the State of New York on this side of the North River, in
such a place as you shall think most safe from being surprised, and at
the same time proper to intercept Skinner's coi-ps should they attempt the
above mentioned route" He adds that Gen. Heard with 200 Jersey Mil-
itia had taken post at Pompton, along with Col. Dey's Bergen County
Militia. In consequence of this information Col. Hathorn was ordered
to co-operate with Gen. Heard.

498 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

A letter from Michael Connoly to Gen. Clintou on au iuterestiug
subject:

Kamapough, March 15tb, 1777.

Sh-: — The Gentleman that Owns the Liquors at Hackinsack and
turned in at this Store has been waiting for my Eeturn those Several
Days; from the account he gives of Brand and Mark it seems to be his
Liquors. And I make no doubt but his -n^ill give yoii full satisfaction
that he is a friend. From those circumstances I suppose he will recover
his Liquors, but as we are entirely out and has been those 15 or 16 days
and one barrel already Consumed I would be glad you would allow me
to purchase them as he offers to take a reasonable price, &c., &c., &c.

To Gen'l. George Clinton. MICHAEL CONNOLY,

Col. Cooper to Gen. Clinton:

Ramapough, April 9th, 1777.
D'r. Sir:— Sunday last five Deserter's out of Colo. Buskirk's Ecgi-
meut (Tory) came over to lis, two of which I took their Examination
and now send yoii. The Militia are coming daily it could with bett-er
conveniences than what there is which I think might with but little Cost
& Trouble be provided by Completing the Barracks near the Store,
which should be glad w^ith your consent & approbation to fall about, as
for Boards, I think I have a sufficiency, Nails I most think we have in
store, and if you approve of the matter you'll be pleased to acquaint me
of it and give me further Directions.

I am S'r Your Hub'l Serv't.,
To Gen'l. George Clinton. GILB'T COOPER, Lt. Colo'l.

At New Windsor.

Extract of a letter from Gen. Clinton to "Washington:

Fort Montgomery, 19th Jan., 1777.

Dear Sir: — The weak state of the Post near Sydman's Bridge, where
by Brother (Gen. James Clinton) commands, he not having Men Suffi-
cient to IMount the necessary' Guards, or on the most urgent occasions
to send out a Party, has induced me to take the Liberty of ordering there
from this Post the other two Companies, raising under my Direction for
one of the 16 additional Regiments, and as they will consist now of about

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 499

100 Eank & File fit for Duty I liave ordered Major Pawling there to
take Command of them.

This step, I hope, will meet joiu- Excellency's Approbation, espe-
cially as if they should be wanted at Head Quarters they will be more
easily & expeditiously Got from Sydmau's than from this Place, &c.

To Gen. Washington. GEO. CLIN^TON.

P. S. — I have wrote to Genl' Putnam for his approbation respecting
the Removal of the above two Companies, which I expect before they
are ready to March.

Letter of Washington to Gen. Putnam:

11 Miles in the Clove, July 21st., 1777.

D'r Sir: — The intelligence which occasioned us to advance from
the entrance to the Clove yesterday morning I find to be premature and
mean to remain here untill I have your answer. What I wish to be par-
ticularly and centainly Informed of is whether you have Keceived any
further accounts from Genl. Sillimon or other persons contiguous to
the Water, Respecting the Ships that were Seen going iip the Sound.
Whether they have come to anchor and where — Whether they have
Troops on Board or have Landed any and what number of Ships have
appeared in the Whole — You wll, I say, give me the most particular
Information j'ou have obtained in the several Instances by Express. I
shall anxiously await for your Answer, and have no doi;bt of Receiving
it tonight — our situation here is Distressing and the Conduct of Qcnl.
Howe Extremely embarrassing.

Yours &c.
GO. WASHINGTON.

P. S. — I shall Expect the earliest and Quickest Intelligence of
every important occuri'ence. G. W.

Genl. Putnam.

Washington to Clinton:

Plimpton Plains,
28th July, 1777.
Dear Sir: — Yours of yesterday reached me at this place. Consid-
ering the situation in which you say the hard bread is, instead of bring-

500 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

iug it forward, I have directed Genl. Sullivan's and Lord Stirling's Divi-
sions to draw three day's provisions each before they King's Ferry.
If any remains after supplying them it may be sent back to the forts.

Whether the enemy's real designs are Southward or eastward, in
order to oppose them effectually and to give proper support to Gen.
Schuyler, I shall be obliged to draw off a considerable part of the force
from Peekskill and there can be no substitute but Militia under our
l^resent Circumstances. I thmk it would be expedient immediately to
call in from one thousand to fifteen himdred from the States of New
York and Connecticut, the proportions I leave to Genl. Putnam and
Yourself.

I do not apprehend much danger from the Gan'ison that is left in
JSTew York, but were the Posts up the Eiver left in too defenceless Con-
dition it might be a temptation for them to Seize them.

I have desired Genl. Putnam to make a demand of as many of the
Connecticut Militia as you and he shall allot them, &c., &c., &c.

I am dear Sir,
Your Most Obed. Servt.,

Gen. Clinton. GO. WASHINGTON.

Extract of letter \vritten from Gen. Clinton to Gen. Gates. This
was written after learning of the Battle of the Brandy wine:

Kingston, Sept'r 15th, 1777.

Dear Sir: — About 12 O'Clock of this day I received the inclosed
letter from Genl. Putnam by express.

In consequence of the intelligence therein contained I have ordered
Eleven Regiments of the Militia of this State to march immediately, 6
of them to join Genl. Putnam's army at Peekskill, 2 to strengthen the
Garrison of Fort Montgomery and three to join Gen'l McDougal at
Eaniapough. G. C.

To Gen. H. Gates.

Extract from Letter of Major MofFat to Gen. James Clinton:

Eamapo Clove, 5th October, 1777.
S'r — As the enemy is in motion & their destination as yet unknown
to me, I thout prudent having an opportunity P' Col. Livingston to

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 501

advise you of my strength at tliis post, which with the reinforcement I
have received from Col. Hathorn's Regiment amounts to scarce Two
Himdred men, officers included. Major Wisner, who is with the last
detachment, says they are not all in that he expects, but if they were I
am afraid be insufficient in case of an attack, as many of their anus are
poor and we are scarce of flints, having none but what in use and many
of them bad. Should have sent to you for some today, but was disap-
pointed in geting a horse timeously; if you have any Horse to spare
should be glad you would send me some by one of them.

The last account I had of the enemy was that they were in Haver-
straw Bay, standing up the river, their van near Stony Point, and that
their fleet consisted of nine Topsail vessels, a number of sloop. Gallics,
&c., with about 50 flat Bottomed Boats, and appeared to have a number
of Troeps on Board.

I have wrote to Major Gutches (Goetchius) desiring he would afford
me what assistance he can in case of Necessity. Should have wi-ote for
the remainder of Col. Hathorn's Regiment, but expect you have ordered
them here, as Col. Malcomb is yet at home should be glad he was ordered
here to take the Command if you think proper.

The day before yesterday I received Intelligence that a number of
Tory Rascals often passed to New York through the Maesonakos woods
below Suffern's, and often took honest peoples Horses to the enemy.
Amongst the Sufferers, ]\Ir. Suft'ern lost 2 on Thursday night last of
which he gave me the above information and offered to pilot any party
that I would send out to waylay them. I immediately ordered Capt.
Wood with about twenty men to go to Mr. Suffern's about dark and
follow his directions, who accordingly went and had the good fortune
about 2 in the Morning to fall in with a party of those villains to the
number of 8 or 10 and fired on them (after challenging properly and
they refusing to stand) killed one dead on the spot, wounded another
so badly he died next Morning about 9 O'Clock, &c., &c.

THOMAS MOFFAT, Major.

Brigadier-Genl. James Clinton,
Fort Montgomery.

During the "Winter and Spring of 1779 the British Agents and Tor-
ies had been very active in the whole of the Northern portion of the

S02 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY

town of Ramapo. Cattle, horses and other live stock stolen and driven
oif, property of all descriptions j)hindered and abuse of all conceivable
fonns committed upon the patriot people.

These conditions called forth the following pathetic appeal to Gov-
ernor Clinton for relief:

To Governor Clinton — May it please yonr Excelcncie, we the civel
Majestrates, Freeholders & Inhabitants of the South Side of the Moun-
tains in the Coimty of Orange, beg leave in a most Himible manner to
lay some of its Innumerable Grievances before yoiu' Excelcncie Hoping
in your Benign "Wisdom and Benevolence towards yoiu- people you will
lend your attention.

With such confidence we make bold to lay our Grievances before
you. We understand by a letter from your excellency in answer to Coll.
Hays that your Excellency has given Gen. McDougal authorety to call
the Militia out from here and Detach them in what manner seemeth
best to him. Sir, many circumstances has occurred since the date of
that letter. Several of our good friends have been Eobbd, many
horses have been stolen from our best Friends, a Gentleman robb'd
near Widow Sidman's of upward of Eleven Thousand Pounds,
I^ew York currency (Esquire Satterly of upward of 2,000£ col-
lected as tax). Information is now actually given that no Less than
nine Different scouts of these most atrocious wi-etches is now this instant
in and about the Mountains Bordering upon \is, and their ready getting
to the Enemy in safety or within their Lines stands in need of more force
than we are able to maintain to defeat them. These and many other
such circumstances Emboldens us to state our Grievances to you. And
Whereas, we Humbly conceive that yovir Excellency as our General and
Chief Magistrate is the only recourse from which we may hope for relief;
And Whereas, it is well kno\\Ti to Some of the Subscril>ers, since the
above mentioned Robberies a Number of the good people here has but
one night in three in their beds, and that without Safety or Comfort, on
account of these dangers, and for some prospect of safety, Padrols are
kept on the Roads and paths every night.

From these States facts we hope your Excelency ^\-ill conceive that
the men called from here by Order of Gen. McDougal is a real Griev-
ance and actually renders us more Defenceless. The many calls of the
Inhabitants with their Teams and other things, which the Army wants.

WILLIAM W. SNOW.

TOWN .OF RAMAPO. 503

in passing and Repassing thro' this part of the State takes at least one-
Sixth part of its Inhabitants Constantly Employ'd in that way; your
Exoelency will Judge what Strength we can have to defend our Exten-
sive Frontier, besides the above mentioned internal Enemies and many
others that Secretly harbors them. All which we limnbly submit to
yovir Consideration. And beg leave to Subscribe ourselves, your Excel-
ency's most Obedient Servants,

Paul V. d'Voort, Bareut v. d'Voort, David Pye, John Cole-
man, Jacob Cole, John D. Coe, John Coe, Jonah Hallsted,
Theunis Cuyper, John Beeknian, John Suffern.
April 28, 1779.

In consequence of this Memorial and of information furnished by
Governor Livingston, of New Jersey, which gave clew to the perpetra-
tors of these robberies and crimes, Governor Clinton wa-ote a letter to
General McDougal, under date of April 29th, 1779, of which the fol-
lowing is a part:

Extract of letter of Governor Clinton to General McDougal :
I have just received fi'om our Friend, Gov'r Livingston, the exam-
ination of which I enclose you a copy of one Cole & other Eobers who
liavc been lately convicted & executed in his State. These discover, not
only the names of the Persons in the different gangs of Robers who infest
this State, but those who hai'bour & abet them. It is of the utmost
Importance that they be immediately apprehended & secured. I have
therefore taken the liberty of sending you the enclosed wan-ant ag't
those Persons named in the Examination who reside in the neighborhood
of Kakiat, in Orange County. As I have Reason to fear that the Execu-
tion of it (if committed to the civil magistrate or the Militia) may be
attended with Delay and rendered imsuccessful, I must request of you to
appoint one of your Officei-s (whom you shall deem best calculated for
the Business) with a proper Detachment to carry the same into imme-
diate execution. You will please get Major Strang to insert his name in
the Blanck left in the wan-ants for that Purpose, as there is not a suff't
number of Commiss'rs here at pres't to form a quorum.

I have informed Colo. Isaac Nicoll of Orange County, who is charged
with the execution of this business in the Clove & in the neighborhood
of Stei-ling Iron Works, that it be begun on the South side of the Moun-
tains on the 5tli of next month. I mention this, as it is necessary that

504 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

botli Parties should strike about the same time, to prevent the Persons
being alarmed & making their Escape. Indeed it is necessary that this
whole business should be conducted with Secrecy.

It has been seen by Washington's letter to General Putnam, dated
July 21st, 1777, that he with his army was in the lower part of the
Clove on the day preceding, to which point he had moved his army
by slow marches from Momstown, New Jersey, anxiously watching the
movements of Sir William Howe, and fearing an attempt on his part
to force the j^assage of the Highlands to co-operate with Burgoyne, who
was moving southward from Canada to capture Albany. Finally becom-
ing persuaded that Howe's aim was an attempt to captiire Philadelphia,
Washington called in his detachments, ret^u-ned down the valley, and
going by way of Xew Bruns^v'ick, humed on to the defence of that city.

Again in the Summer of 1779, Washington made a hurried march to
the Clove, going up as far as Smith's Clove. This was in consequence
of the movements of the British army and of vessels up the Hudson
threatening again the forts in the Highlands. From Smith's Clove
there were passes through the moimtains to the forts on the Hudson.
Detachments of the American army Avere stationed throughout the
Pamapo valley as far down as the entrenchments at Sidman's bridge for
the protection of their communications.

In consequence of this action of Washington, Sir Henry Clinton
abandoned his project, whatever it may have been, and returned with
his forces to JSTew York.

While stationed at Smith's Clove Washington planned and Wayne
executed the brilliant capture of Stony Point; General Wayne crossing
the mountains from Smith's Clove to Haverstraw the day previous.

In September, 1777, Lieut. Col. Burr, in command of Col. Mal-
com's regiment, was stationed at the works in the Kamapo Pass; Burr
having liis headquarters at the hoiise of John Suffern. Here he received
intelligence that the British were in considerable force at Hackensack,
twenty miles below, and advancing into the country; leaving a guard to
protect the post, he marched with the rest of his command to Paramus,
about sixteen miles, arriving at about sunset. Leaving the greater part
of his force, he took a small detachment with him to reconnoitre the
position of the enemy. Having satisfied himself of their position, he
concealed his men and waited till early morning to make the attack,

TOWN OF RAMAPO. SOS

wLicli he did, not allowing a gun to be fired until full upon the enemy.
The result was' that the British were fully surj^jrised; many were killed
or woimded and the balance dispersed or taken prisoners. Although this
was a small affair, still it gave a severe check to the Tories of Bergen
county, of which there were many, led by the notorious Colonel Van-
Buskerk.

It is possible, and also probable that while on this expedition, Colonel
Bun- first met Madam Provost, who afterward became his wife. She
was then living at New Prospect, now Hohokus, New Jersey, in a com-
fortable old mansion, beautifully shaded by forest trees, distant eight
miles south of Suffem, on the road which Bun- had to traverse in going
to make the attack at Hackensack. We are told, at least, that while sta-
tioned at Suffern, he was assiduous in his attentions to the lady, and his
romantic ride from White Plains to New Prospect and back in one night
to see his Lady Love has been celebrated in both prose and verse. It
is additionally interesting to people of our town that Theodosia Provost
was the widow of James Marcus Provost, who was the owner of one of
the largest and most valuable land patents within our limits. It was
within the old Paramus Church, which stands about two miles southeast
along the main road, from this old mansion that Aaron Burr and Tlie-
dosia Provost were mamed. This was on July 2nd, 1782.

The property which Madam Provost occupied passed to the possession
of Dr. Elijah Rosencrants, who married Cornelia, daughter of John Suf-
fern; their children inherited it and their grandchildren now occupy it.
The old mansion was torn down a half century since and a modern
Gothic structure of bro^vn stone erected on its site. Some interesting
relics of the interior of the old building were incorporated into the new.

The tradition is that while Washington was in Ramapo Clove in
1777, he climbed Tome Mountain, the highest peak in the lower valley,
to Avatch the movements of the British fleet in New York bay. It was
down this valley that Washington sent De la Montague with dispatches
meant to delude Sir Henry Clinton into the belief that New York was
the objective point of the allied amiy in 1781. Montague knew well
that the route he was ordered to follow was infested by Tories and made
objection, but was sternly ordered to obey orders. As Washington
expected, De la Montagne was captured and the deceptive dispatches

506 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

reached Sir Henry Clinton. This incident was told by De la Mon-
tague to Mr. Jeremiah H. Pierson and was generally known in the
vicinity.

In the late summer of 1780, the American army passed up the val-
ley from Pompton and encamped at Eamapo for several days, Washing-
ton making his headquai-ters at the house of Andrew Hopper, about
two miles below the Xew Jersey line, the advance of the army encamp-
ing at Suffem. Here they remained for several days. It was while here
that the expedition of Light Horse Hany Lee against the enemy at
Paulus Hook was planned and executed.

From Ramapo the army moved, part going to Westchester county
by way of King's Ferry, the left ^ving■, under General Green, going to
Tappan. Washington proceeded to Hartford for a consultation with
Count Eochambeau. While on this visit the treason of Arnold culmi-
nated and Andre was captured.

The last time any portion of the Continental Army passed through
this section of the county was when the combined French and American
annies went to the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown. The two arniies
crossed from Westchester by King's Fen-y, a portion of the Americans
having crossed at Dobb's Fen-y at an earlier date; while eifecting this
crossing the armies encamped at Haversti'aw for a few days and when
they took up their march, one division went by way of Clarkstown, Tap-
pan, the Hackensack valley to Newark, and Perth Amboy, the other
divisions going over the old Military Road through Kakiat to SufFeni,
and so on through the Ramapo valley to Pompton, and from there by
different roads to Trenton.

At the close of the first day's march after they left Haverstraw, a
portion of the troops encamped at Suffern on the fann fonxierly owned
by Major James Suffern, and which now belongs to Mr. Dininny. As
late as 1844 the fire places of this encampment, which were built of
field stone, were in a good state of preservation. They were taken away
to clear up the land about that time.

The northeastern part of the town was often raided by Claudius
Smith and his followers, who stole cattle and horses, and caiTied them to
the enemy and terrorized the inhabitants. The Presbyterian Church at
Hempstead is said to have been iised as a horse stable by the American
forces, and nearby, at the house of John Coe, Lafayette is reported to
have written at least one letter.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. S07

Among tlie homes visited by British partisans was that of one. Lee,
near the State line, in Mesonicns. This home they devastated, killed
young Lee and violated the person of his sister Elisabeth. These ciiiel-
ties upset the poor girl's reason and she shortly after died from exposure
in a severe snowstorm.

In 1781 the British held several positions in New Jersey near the
State line and gave much annoyance to the people of Eamapo. On one
occasion Captam Babbit, in command of a small party of horsemen sta-
tioned near Monscy, attacked and routed a party of these, cither killing
or capturing the whole party without the loss of a man.

EOADS.

In the early days the roads in the Town of Eamapo, like those in
other of the older settled sections of the country, were rather a matter
of neighliorhood growth than of any system. Eather tracks from one
ncighl)or to another than a system of communication between points of
importance more or less distant. Yet they ultimately took somewhat
tlie fonn of a system.

It has been tndy said that "Xature as well as man made the 'Point
of the Mountain' at Suffem, the starting point for roads." Like the
ribs of a fan with the southern outlet of the Eamapo valley as the pivot,
roads take their courses, southwest, south, soiitheast, east, northeast and
north; reaching in these several directions Pompton and MorristowTi
and beyond; Paterson, Ilackensack, Newark, Hoboken and New York;
Tappan, Piermont and Nyack; New City, Eockland Lake, Hempstead,
Ilavcrstraw and Stony Point; while through the "Old Clove" points a
stream of travel from the far west to the great city of the country,
New York.

An old time resident of this point, writing in January, 1 r97, to his
Member of Congress concerning qiiestions which were agitating the
pulilic mind says: "As I live on a spot which commands the pass from
the western part of the State, and Vennont, and it being the central road
from the Southern to the Eastern States, I have thereby frequent oppor-
tunity of seeing and conversing Avith people of note and information,"
etc., etc.

In Eevolutionary days there were three main routes from the 'Toint
of the Mountain" to the eastern part, of the county, which continued

508 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

for many years to be cousidered as such. Tliey may be designated as
the southern, the central and the Northern routes. All three had the
same starting point, which may now be designated as the Crossing of
Washington and Lafayette avenues, in the village of SufFern.

The Southern route taking a direction almost due east for about one
and one-half miles, whei'e it turns to a direction southeasterly, to the
Heights of Masonicus at the Lutheran Church and the old tavern stand
of Cornelius Wanamaker; from there it went on with many crooks
and tm'ns to the John Yeary tavern, south of Mousey station; and east-
erly and southerly, south of Spring Valley, through the Scotland neigh-
borhood to Middletown (south of Nanuet), so through Greenbush to
Tappan and Piermont.

The second or Middle road started at the same point and ran north-
erly to the foot of the Mountains which bear off northeasterly towards
Havei-straw, then easterly to the Lodwick Cai lough house, built in
1765, so on easterly by the homes of the Fredericks and directly over
the hill immediately in front of Mr. Thomas F. Ryan's residence and still
on, to the north of Tallman's station, and past the Spook Eock, over the
hills to the residence of Mr. John Lewis Blauvelt, north of Mousey;
here to meet the road coming south from the "Brick Church" section;
from there it ran southward to the upper part of Mousey at the Cemetery
of the True Reformed Church. Turning here to the east for a short
distance it went southward and eastward into Spring Valley, to the
Dutch factory hill.

The third of these roads started from the same point and was known
as the "King's Road." It followed the same line as the second until
it reached the corner at Eugene Wanamaker's blacksmith shop. Here it
turned northerly to the foot of the mountain, following the course of
the mountain to "Forshay's" Corner; here it bore more toward the east,
and crossing the Mahwah by a bridge, it passed on over the hill, through
Mechanicsville (now Viola) to and past the "Brick Church" to the Eng-
lish or Hempstead Presbyterian Church. At this point it turned north
to Gumee's Comer, near Mt. Ivy Station, from which point it contin-
ued in a northeasterly course to Hudson river at Haverstraw. At Ben-
son's, near the Print Works, it branched to the northward to Stony
Point and the "King's Ferry."

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 509

At Forshay's Comer there was a practicable road following tlie Mah-
wah northward to Ladentown, which has become the main route between
Sufferu and Haverstraw.

At the English Church the road to New City continues eastward and
becomes the connecting route between the Kakiat section of Kamapo
and tlie different sections of Clarksto^vn.

On the northwest comer of these roads stood the home of John Coc.
Here he kept a tavern during the Eevohition and entertained many noted
people of the time. Here also is the starting point of another of the im-
portant lines of road in the town. It runs in a southerly direction to and
tlu'ough Spring Valley to the New Jersey Line near which it separates,
one section going easterly and southerly into the Pascack Valley, and the
other going westerly and southerly to Chestnut Ridge and Saddle Eiver
Valley, N. J.

By means of the four lines of road we have tried to describe, com-
munication was possible, with the aid of a few minor lines, between the
southwestern part of the county and the section bordering on the Hud-
son, from Jones's Point on the north, to Tajjpan on the south. Still,
the time soon came when a demand arose for better and more direct
roads between the Ramapo valley and tide-water. Manufacturing plants
sought the valley because of the water power and fuel it contained, and
as soon as they became established, and before, the call came for shorter
and better roads, the farmers joining in the demand. Hence, it is not
surprising that active measures should follow.

Through the Ramapo Valley there had, from an early date, been a
road; how early cannot be learned, leading through the only real pass in
the mountains, between the Hvidson and Delaware; it gave communica-
tion from the south and New Jersey, to the interior of the State of New
York. It was called the Albany road, and iipon it, especially in winter,
when the Hvidson was closed by ice, regular lines of stages were wont
to run from New York to Albany. The section through the valley then
almost a wilderness, a difficult one, as it was also an important one to
keep in repair. That this was recognized was evidenced by the fact that
the State Legislature in 1794 passed two separate Acts authorizing the
SuperA-isors of Orange county to spend one himdred and thirty-six pounds
in rebuilding the bridge over the Ramapo creek in the town of New
Hempstead near the house of Lewis Shuart., and to appoint a "free-
holder" to superintend the work.

510 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The earliest and most important move leading to improved roads
was the chartering of the Orange Turnpike Company, to which power
was given to straighten and improve the road from the State line to Mon-
roe, in Orange county, a distance of 20 miles, and to provide for its
future maintenance by the collection of tolls. This was done April 4th,
1800. The stock of the company was largely taken by people of Orange
county to whom the road was of special value. Among the stockholders
reported in 1800 the first on the lint was Aaron Burr; others were Peter
TouTisend, Jeremiah H. Pierson & Co., Seth Marvin, John Suffern, etc.

The old King's road, leaving the State of ISTew Jersey, ran directly
north to the residence of Mr. John SufEem, passing in front of the Epis-
copal Church, there turning sharply to the west, followed Lafayette
Avenue to a point between the ilcthodist and Roman Catholic Churches,
where it bore to the northward, and its com'se was directly to the pres-
ent Orange avenue in front of R. G. Riggs' hotel, but the Turnpike, on
leaving the State line, followed the bed of Orange avenue parallel to the
Erie road until it reached the Hillbui-n Village line, and from that point
it follows practically the line upon which it was laid originally. The
Toll gates on this road were at Sloatsburg and at the saw works near the
upper Tuxedo Park entrance; the last one was abandoned many years
since, but the one at Sloatsburg remained until the road was turned over
to the town. '

In 1869 the company was authorized to abandon the western half of
its road, which was done. Later on, considerable dissatisfaction existed
on the part of those using the Turnpike and those living along its line,
and circumstances having changed in a manner to make it a burden to
its o%vxLers, application was made for permission to turn it over to the
towns which it traversed. This permission was granted and thus passed
out of existence the first and the last Turnpike road in the town of
Ramapo.

A law was afterwards passed allowing the Supervisors of any coimty
desiring to do so, to adopt what is known as the "County Road System."
The Supervisors of Rockland county by resolution adopted that system
and detennined that the Orange Turnpike "nathin the limits of the town,
excepting the portion within the Corporation limits of the village of Hill-
burn, should be a portion of the county roads.

JAJlliS A. DAVIDSON.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 511

Starting from Siiffem and running east to the Hudson is the Nyack
Timipike. This road was run ahnost regardless of hills, valleys or
swamps. The one object in view seemed to have been the shortest pos-
sible Hue to the Hudson river and by actual distance it is between four
and five miles shorter than the route which had to be previously taken.

Before the laying of this road or chartering of the company much
discussion was had.

The question to be decided was one between Haverstraw and Nyack.
Not whether a road should be built, but should it be between Suffern
and !Nyack or between Suffern and Haverstraw.

Nyack offered deeper water at its dock and less trouble with ice in
winter and shorter river travel. A slightly shorter route and a hilly
road, while Haverstraw offered, upon the whole, much easier gTades.
The decision was in favor of N^yack and after repeated petitions the Leg-
islature, on April 17th, 1816, incorporated the Nyack Turnpike Com-
pany, with Tennis Smith, Robert Hart, Abram Tallman, Teunis DePew,
Peter Smith, Jeremiah H. Pierson, Edward Suffern, John E. Myers and
William Young as incorporators. The road "to begin at the cross roads
near Nyack Landing in Orangetown, in the County of Rockland,
between the houses of Teunis and Peter Smith, running thence west-
erly along the old road until in front of Peter Smith's dwelling house,
and from thence the most direct and most convenient rotate to the
Orange Turnpike road, and to pass in front of the dwelling house of
John Suffern, in the town of Hempst/ead, in said county."

The stock was to consist of 700 shares of $25.00 each. Jeremiah H.
Pierson, John E. Myei-s and Teunis Smith were the Commissioners to
receive subscriptions, and no toll-gate was to be placed within one-half
mile of the Orange Tiimpike.

An Act was passed in April, 1830, by which J. H. Pierson and
Edward Suffern, of the town of Ramapo, Lucas Akers and Isaac
Lydecker, of Clarkstown, and John Green, Teunis Smith and Peter
Smith, of the Town of Orange, were appointed Trastees to superintend
the improvement and repair of this road. As originally run the road
made a detour to the south of Monsey and Spring Valley, but in 1871
the Alturas Company opened a road from Monsey to Spring Valley
directly across the swamp, which had proved such an obstacle at an
earlier day, and has made still easier and shorter the travel between
Nyack and Suffern.

512 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

NotwitlistandiDg the success of the advocates of the Nyack road, it
still remained tnie that a better and shorter road to Haverstraw was
needed, and its advocates in 1814 secvired a charter for the "New Antrim
and Waynesburgh Turnpike Company. The incorporators' names in the
act were Halstead Coe, Edward Suffem, Josiali Conklin, John Knapp,
John D. Coe, Elias Gumee, Andrew Suffem, John Felter and Abram
Dater. This road was to begin at the dwelling house of John Suffem,
situated in the town of New Hempstead, from thence to mn by the most
direct course to such a point in the Village of Waynesburgh, later War-
ren, now Havei-straw, as the Commissioners might select. Nothing was
done by this company, but by degTees a road from Suffem to Haverstraw
in the most direct and by the easiest route, has been secured. This was
accomplished by starting at the present crossing of the Piermont Branch
Eailroad at Suffern and following the base of the mountain as far as
the Lodowich Carlough house, and continuing straight on over the hill,
instead of bearing to the right as the old one did, until it met the old
or right hand road, and thence to Forshay's Comer. From this point
there had been in early days a passable road through the Mahwah Valley
to Ladentown; from this point it turned to the eastward and passed over
Camp Hill to Gumee's Comer, at the head of the "Hook Mountain."
But the road over Camp Hill was heavy and long, three-quarters of a
mile from the summit either way. On the one side of it were thousands
of cords of wood on the Ramapo Mountains, and on the other were the
brick-yards at Haverstraw. Each of these wanted easy access to the
other and that long and steep hill was in the way and then there was
but one alternative; that was, around the southern base of the hill, but
this would carry us across a large swamp, about one-third of a mile
across. Tliis was a formidable obstacle, indeed, but about 1875 the
authorities of the Town of Eamapo took the matter in hand and built
the road about one and one-half miles at a cost of between $2,000 and
$3,000. This change has had the effect of shortening the time between
the two terminals greatly, and secured a stretch of about twelve miles
of road with very easy gi-ades. Now that this line is included within
the County system and the few hills cut down and valleys filled, it will
shortly become one of the most attractive drives in the county.

There are two other wagon roads in the to^vn, of considerable inter-
est, one of them being the road from Sloatsburg and Dater's Forge, to
Johnstown. By this route Haverstraw and Stony Point may be reached.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 513

Another principal road is tlie one leaving the 'Now Jersey line, ninning
northerly through Cherry Lane, Talhnans, Mechanicsville or Viola, and
onward to the northern end of the town.

There are many other cross and by-roads, but deeming these the
most prominent, we shall rest at this.

ERIE EAILROAD.

Tbe Erie Eailroad obtained its charter in 1832. Work was com-
menced in 1S3C and it was opened for traffic between Piennont and Go-
shen, Orange county, in 1841. According to the original charter the
road could not pass into New Jersey. Therefore it's nearest access to
New York City was at Piermont. In coming west from Piermont, it
first enters Eamapo at Spring Valley. The stations on its line coming
from east to west are Spring Valley, Mousey, Tallmans, Suffem, Hill-
burn, Ramapo, Sterlington and Sloatsburg. It may be stated here that
the building of this road created a great deal of interest among the people
of the town of Ramapo. This was not sui^prising when we take into ac-
coimt that it traverses practically the whole length from east to west.
Quite a number of its residents along the line gTanted a free right of way
across their properties and agreed to bi:ild and keep the fences while
many subscribed to its stock, in some cases paying for it in labor and ma-
terial used in the bviilding of the line. This liberality was in time re-
gretted by many — they discovered that there was more than one side to
the question where individuals, not communities, were concerned.

Eroni the first starting to build, the railroad was the common topic of
conversation among old and young, and people would come fi'om long
distances to satisfy their curiosity.

During the winter of 1839 and '40 the track which had begun to be
laid at the river, had reached what is known as the Hemion Bridge which
is a road crossing aboiit one and one-half miles east of Suffem station.
At about one-eighth of a mile south of this bridge stood the district
schoolhouse. One afternoon, while the pupils were engaged in their
work, a strange sound was heard, and all, including teacher, paused; it
was but for a moment, for all, including teacher, with one axicord rushed
for the door, grabbing their hats as they ran, not thinking of wraps, and
leaving the door standing ^vide open fled to when; the strange sound was
heard. It was the whistle of the first locomotive they had seen. As

514 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

showing the difference between then and now, at least in raih'oad mat-
tors, another incident may be of interest. It occun-ed during the -winter
folloAving the opening of the road as far as Snffcrn.

Major James Suffem resided about one mile to the east of Suffem
station, his house standing about 300 feet from the railroad. Just to
the rear of the house wa'; a road crossing by which he could reach the
farm on the other side of the railroad ; on either side of this crossing was
a trench or cattle-giiard as it is called in railway parlance. During the
winter one night a pretty deep snow being on the ground, a locomotive
without a train was let down into one of these cattle-guards, and of
course there was trouble. How was the locomotive to be raised and
placed iipon the track? if^o one knew. Finally the fireman was sent to
the Major to sec if he could and would hire him a horse with saddle and
bridle to drive to Piermont for help to get the engine out of the cattle-
guard. It so happened that the Major knew the fireman and also the
principal officers of the road, and consented to let him have the horse.
It may here be stated that the first engines placed upon the lines were
but little if any larger than those employed on the elevated lines in New
York city today. The road which approaches Suffern from the south,
now a foiir track line, is the Paterson and Ramapo road, opened in 1848,
from Paterson to the St-ate line, and is connected with the old Erie road
by the Union Railroad, 79-100 of a mile long. This connected Suffem
with Xew York City in the following manner:

STiffeni by Union Railroad to State line, State line to Paterson by
Patei"son & Ramapo Railroad; Paterson to Jersey City by Patei-son &
Jersey City Railroad. These three roads fonued a continuous line and
all were leased to the Erie Company in 1852, and now foim the main
line of that road between Suffem and Jersey City.

During this inteiwal between 1848 and 1852 there was rivalry be-
tween the two lines and Suffern acquired quite a prominence.

At the opening of the Paterson and Ramapo Railroad, too, there was
quite a celebration at Suffem. Many prominent men from abroad were
there, among them being General "Winfield Scott. A collation was
served and general congratulations were exchanged.

The New Jersey and New York Railroad enters this town at Spring
Valley and proceeds from thence, north to the Ilaverstraw line at the
head of Hook Mountain; from there it strikes doAvn the Minnies Falls
Valley and terminates at Main street in that village.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. SIS

The inception of this road was the dcsii'c of the people of Hacken-
sack, New Jersey, to have railway connection with New York City; this
desire led to the building of the line from the Erie at a ]K>int on the
Ilackensack meadow about a mile east of Kiitherford, New Jersey, to
the lower end of Ilackensack at Essex street. Later it was extended to
Hillsdale, New Jersey. Having rested there a short time, the new com-
pany was formed, called the Hackensack and New York Extension Com-
pany; the road was carried forward to Nanuet, thence it used the tracks
of Piermont Branch to Spring Valley, from which place it ran to Stony
Point, and later by a branch road into Haverstraw, as stated.

The road was opened May 3rd, 1875; in 1877 a receiver was ap-
pointed. The original lines were sold separately, the Hackensack Rail-
road, August 14th, 1878, and the Hackensack and New York Extension
Railroad, November, 1879.

The New Jersey & New York Railroad was organized in 1880, and
for a number of years it has been under the control of the Erie. The
stations along its line within the town of Ramapo are Spring Valley,
Union Station, New Hempstead, Alexis Station, Pomona and Mount Ivy.

Sterling Mountain Railway. — This railroad n;ns from Sterlington
on the Erie Railroad, to Lakeville and Sterling Lake, about a mile.
It was built to transport ore and pig iron from the mines and fur-
naces of the company, and coal and other material to them. The com-
pany was organized May 18th, 1864, and was opened November 1st,
1865. This company succeeded to the control of the old ToAvnsend prop-
erty and mines which were famous in the early days of iron making.
Although the furnaces liave been abandoned, the ores from these mines
are still in good demand for special uses, at this date.

Note — The Erie has changed its official name so often it woTild be
tiring to note its many names and it will here be treated by its pres-
ent and most familiar one — the "Erie Railroad."

RAMAPO VALLEY, RAMAPO RIVER AND OTHER STREAMS.

The Ramapo Valley extends from the village of Monroe, in Orange
county, N. Y., to below Pompton, in Passaic county, New Jersey. The
river of that name takes its rise from Little Round Pond, a pretty little
natural lake which, with a small wooded island at about the middle of it,
is distant about one and a quarter miles in a westerly direction from the

516 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

railroad station in that village. Thence it makes its course through field
and meadow, past Turner, to the valley proper. The valley from thence
southward is narrow and somewhat tortuous, only occasionally reach-
ing a width of one mile from one foot-hill to the other. The hills on
both sides attain considerable height and are rocky and wooded ; in some
places they are precipitous and exceedingly rough. This is its character
for about sixteen miles between Turners and Suffem, at which point the
mountain of the east side end and the country opens out into the fanning
section of Rockland county and northern ISTew Jersey. On the right,
however, they continue in their rugged character about thirteen miles
further, when they abruptly end at the upper side of the plains at
Pompt«n, ]Sr. J.

From its very start in active life the Ramapo stream commences to
be serviceable; for m the village of Monroe, only one and a quarter
miles from its source, it has been for years turning a mill for grinding
grain, and at Turners it has been of like service. From here for about
four miles it takes its sluggish way to Arden, where it receives quite an
accession to its waters from lakes on the east mountain; thence in a
rather lazy way it proceeds to Southfield, where it again gains size and
streug-th from beautiful Mombasha Lake on the west side. Still on it
goes down its course about two miles further to the saw works, where the
waters from famous Tuxedo Lake join from the westward again. From
this point the speed increases for about two miles further, when it leaps
and plunges through a narrow gorge and over two falls and lands in a
beautiful basin at the foot of the last one. We have now reached "Au-
gusta Forge," of ancient fame, but now known as Tuxedo. From thence
we follow the course still southward and two miles brings us to the old'
Dater place, where used to be forged sawmills and gTist mills; and now
we are in the town of Ramapo. This is near the entrance of Tuxedo
Park. A little lower down the largest contributor, so far met with, to
her volume, Stoney Brook, from the east, which is large enough to have
driven a forge, saw-mill and grist-mill. A little fiirther on it reaches
Sloatsburg, where the waters from ISTegro Pond (Pothat) again add size.
This place has been an important manufacturing centre, as will be seen
further on; so we follow down stream about one and one-half miles and
we come to another place where the power of her waters made possible
the founding of one of the most important industries which have existed

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 517

within the bounds of the Town of Ramapo or of the county. Here, too,
is a considerable addition to her water by tlie Tohrne brook, from the
eastern moimtain. About two miles further south, at Hillbum, it
again becomes useful in running a saw-mill and rolling mill; her waters
pass out of the Town of Eamapo into the State of New Jersey and so on
after receiving the watei-s of the Mahwah at a point about one-half mile
below the State line, to join with the Wymaque and the Pequanick, a
short distance beyond Pompton, to fomi the Passaic, and thence over
the falls at Paterson, adding power and beauty to that city and Passaic,
on out to sea.

The Mahwah, sometimes called Haverstraw, is the next stream in
size within the town, and rises a short distance northeast from the little
hamlet of Ladentown. Its general course is soutliwestward until it
reaches the northerly bounds of Suffern village, when its course is more
nearly directly south until it approaches the New Jersey line, when
it turns to the west and joins the Eamapo.

The only other stream of consequence in the town is the Pascack,
although its coui-se lies within its bounds but a short distance; still there
are two or three mill sites on it before it passes into Clarkstown. It
rises to the north of Mousey and coui-sing around the hill it passes
through Spring Valley with a heavy fall down into the valley and so
on south into New Jersey. While there are no other considerable
streams, the town may be considered pretty well watered, there being
many small brooks and rivulets, some of' which afford sites for grist-
mills and saw-mills.

The streams which originate in or pass through the town find their
way to the ocean at Sandy Hook by the Hudson, the Hackensack and
the Passaic rivers. Those originating in the northeasterly part of the
town by way of the first, those taking their rise north of Mousey and
west of Spring Valley flow into the Hackensack by way of the Pascack,
and those of the Saddle river, the Mahwah and Ramapo empty into the
Passaic.

EDUCATION.

Education, Manners and Customs.

It will readily be understood that considering the situation of the
early settlers, the problems before them, the clearing up of a wilderness

518 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

and tlie providing of clotliing and sustenance for families, left bnt little
opportunity for attention being given to education. The labor of old
and young, male and female, was required to build and make even
comfortable the home, to clear the land and put in crops that the table
might be moderately supplied. This was the problem which confronted
all. Even had teachei's been plentiful and competent, which they were
not, there Avas little time or opportunity to take advantage of their ser-
vices. A teacher woidd offer his sen'ices and woidd go about the neigh-
borhood and secure sid)scriptions for the payment of his salary. This ob-
tained, some building was most probably donated for a time and fitted
up with slab l>ench'es and the most primitive style of desks, if indeed
there were any. Fiud was furnished, usually gTcen wood, by the patrons
of the school, and the larger boys attending, along with the teacher,
made it ready for iise in the open fire-places or old box stove.

The following agreement is a sample which shows the method then
])re vailing:

Article of Agreement made and Concluded Upon B(etwecn John A.
Woodward on the one part and the Under Written Subscribers on the
other is as follows, viz. : that the Said Woodward Doth engage to teach
a regular english School the fidl term of three ilonths and to instruct
his Scholars those Several branches of literature, viz.. Spelling, Heading,
Writing, Cyjihiring & English Granuuar for twelve Shillings for Each
Scholar. Sul>scribed iis Witness My hand this 25th day of September,
Anno Domini, 1804.

J. A WOODWAED.

We, the under Written Subscribers, Do Engage to proA-ide A Suffi-
cient School House with other Necessaries for a School and to pay the
Said AVoodward twelve Shillings for each Scholar. Subscribed by us
at the expii-ation of the Quarter.

N. B. — The School is to commence on next Monday..

Adolphus Wanmaker, 1

Caty Fox 2

John Straut, 2

John Winter 1

Jacob TIemion, 1

Chistian Wanmaker, 1

GLODE BEQUA.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. S19

To the honor of the Keformed Dutch Church it may be said that
when a church of that denomination Avas erected a schoolhouse was built
nearby and was to an extent under the supervision of the pastor and Con-
sistory, although as a general thing the teacher assumed the responsi-
bility of raising and collecting his own salary. It was to the Reformed
Church at Mahwah and to Mr. Pierson of Kaniapo works that the inhab-
itants of the Ramapo Valley and the section about Suffem and Meson-
icus were for a long time indebted for the education which they were
fortunate enough to obtain. It will naturally be assumed that it was
only the fundamental branches which were taught and owing to the
irregaxlar attendance, which arose from many causes, a large number
of the youth grew up in lamentable ignorance of even those.

Owing to the improved cii'cumstances of the people, the lessening of
the burden of subduing the land for use, and the gradual broadening of
their views, there has been a decided, if gradual, improvement in educa-
tional matters in the town.

The passage of the Free School law in 1866 and the enlightened pol-
icy of the State has however probably been the most important factor
in this improved condition and it may now be said that this town is in
a fairly satisfactory condition as respects education. ,

There are in the town at present fifteen school districts, in one of
which. Spring Valley, is a High School, and another is a Union Free
School. There were employed altogether in 1901 forty-two teachers.

Amount of money raised by local taxation, $26,013.08.

Amount of Public or State money apportioned in town, $4,596.96.

Number of pupils enrolled, 1.740.

Number of days' attendance, 248,909.

Value of School properties, $55,415.

Volumes in School libraries, 4,012.

Volumes added in 1901, 168.

Value of same, $2,126.

VILLAGES AND HAMLETS.

RAMAPO, FORMERLY RAMAPO WORKS.

In the year 1795 an enterprise which had a wonderful effect on the
growth of not only the town of Ramapo, but as well upon, the sun-ound-
ing coimtrj'' in New Jersey and Orange county, was establislied at this

520 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY

point. The inducement to its establishment here was the alnmdant
growtli of timber on the adjacent mountains and tlie fine water power
furnished by the Eamapo river.

In that year three brotliers, Josiah G., Jeremiah H. and Isaac Pier-
son, purchased from Mr. John Suffern 119 acres of land, which included
the land covered by the dam and the greater part of what is covered by
the village as it exists today. At the date of their coming Josiah G. Pier-
son was engaged in the making of cut nails by machinery of his own
invention at Wilmington, Delaware, from iron imported from Eussia,
rolled and cvit at that place.

As soon as this purchase was made work began in earnest. The dam
was built across the stream, timber cut and prepared for the erection of
buildings, houses erected for employes out of the native wood and on
every hand was evidence that enteii^rising men were at the helm. If
we stop to consider the conditions it will be discovered that courage,
enterprise and great ability were not lacking in the gentlemen who con-
ceived and carried through to success so great an enterprise.

A few quotations from letters of that time will give evidence that
men of determination were the directors. In May, 1795, Mr. J. G.
Piei-son writes from Xew York: "Infonn the people that they take
their cattle off the farm and that tliey may stay on the place if they will
work for me." "Accommodate for board as well as you can." (In Octo-
ber 20 cariienters, and 55 laborers were boarding at John Siuith's, Mrs.
Van Blarcum's and Lewis Shuart's.) "Set the narrow axe men to clear
away the brush for the dam." "Set the men to digging for the flumes
and raceways." "Hire more men if you can." "Go up to Augusta forge
for such iron as you need." "Write to Sterling furnace for castings such
as we want about the slitting mill," etc., etc. So the work went on and
in 1798 the rolling-mill, .slitting mill and nail factory were in operation.
The firm name was J. G. Pierson & Brothers. It is an interesting fact
that the principal demand for cut nails was for sugar plantations in the
West Indies. In 1807 the growth of whale fisheries was sucli as to make
laro-e demands for hoops for oil casks. This indiTced the enlargement of
the rolling mill to meet such demand. At about the same time !Mr.
Jeremiah H. Pierson invented the machine for slitting nail rods. Tliis
machine remained in general use for that piirpose until a recent date.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. S21

The following summary of tho conditions at Kamapo, in the early
clays, by Mr. E. F. Pierson, as published in Mr. Cobb's History of the
Town of Ramapo, will give a full and clear idea of the conditions :

"As the old works at Ramapo were among the pioneer institutions
in our county, and identified with agricultural and commercial, as well
as the iron industries of both Orange and Rockland counties for many
years, their relation to the outlying region beyond the mountains which
inclosed them, presents some points for comparison of interest to the
descendants of those who dealt with them.

In order to appreciate the situation in this regard from our stand-
point we shoiild go back and view the locality as it existed 107 years
ago, when Jei-emiah H. Pierson first came to Sidman's Clove.

The Ramapo pass is sixteen miles long and thi-ough it ran but one
road communicating with the cultivated fields of Orange county north
and west of the mountains. We need mention but oue central road in
that direction, leading from Sloatsburg to the iron works at Sterling and
Ringwood, built before the Revolution. On the Ramapo river, several
miles above, were the Augusta forges. At SufFern the mountains opened
upon the long settled portions of Rockland county and of Bergen county,
N. J. Here two roads, practicable for heavy traffic, led to tide-water,
one to Haverstraw Landing, 14 miles, and the other soi^thward 32 miles
to Hoboken FeiTy. The navigation of tho rivers was exclusively by
sailing craft and twelve years was to elapse before Fulton was to put
the first steamboat on the Hudson.

The second letter in the correspondence between 'New York and
Ramapo mentions both these routes. Mr. J. G. Pierson, in New York,
on the 22nd of May, 1795, advising shipment of the first invoice to
Ramapo, says: "Isaac has sent to Haverstraw Landing the things I
intended to go to Boskirk's landing, on the Hackensack. I was there
yesterday and engaged wagons. Call on Judge Suffem and tell liim
he must try and get waggons."

"We, living within an hour's journey of the same spot, to whose mul-
tiplied wants railroads make the continent tributary, cannot readily
appreciate "the day of small things" when men were groping about for
transportation after this slow and laborious fashion. But transportation
was not then, as now, when coal and steam are used, the controlling fac-
tor in determining the feasibility of a site for iron works. The gi-cat

522 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

disederata were water power and a forest for fuel. These were abun-
dant in the Glove, but tlicy were not transportable, and it was a very
practical truth then that ''Mahomet must go to the mountain."

Through the Clove ran the New York and Albany stage, but the
letter and passenger carriage of that day were equally behind this age.
It would sound strange now to read at the close of a letter from Xew
York an apology in the words, "I fear the post will be gone," "the post
is waiting," not infrequent in these oommunications with Ramapo.

We are very importunate in our demands for the I'ailroad tune-table
for fear we shall be left, but then the stage time-table was needed to
show the traveller how long he must wait. This will appear if we scan
the time-table ranging over all the hours of the day and night.

AERIVALS OF MAIL AT RAMAPO IN 1810.

Date

North

South

Date

North

South

Jan.

17,

7.15 a. m,

9.05 p. m.

18,

9.00 p. m.

2.45 a. m.

19,

9.50 "

20,

midnight

2.45 "

21,

2.45 p. m,

22,

8.00 a. m.

"i,

6.50 "

23,

9.40 p. m.

11.50 a. m.

24,

noon

9.10 "

25,

11.30 "

10,

10.34 "

26,

4.40 a. m,

11,

10.41 p. m.

27,

12,

28,

7.40 "

13,

8.30 "

29,

4.10 a. m.

14,

10.50 "

8.40 "

30,

10.50 p. m.

15,

31,

8.20 "

16,

10.30 "

By 1812 we find in operation the rolling and slitting mills, nail
factory, blacksmith shop, saw and grist mills, wire mill, store, forge,
coal house, store house for straw, bams and stables for many horses,
mules and ox teams, a large niunber of houses for Superintendents and
operatives, store hoiiscs for grain, meat and provisions. Nor were the

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 523

interests of education and religion either forgotten or neglected. The
present stractnre nsed for school purposes is the third one erected for
that use, and in 1796, one year after the first purchase of land, the first
schoolmaster made his advent. In 1810 a church was erected.

In order to give a full conception of the activities at Ramapo works
at the above date besides the purchase of additional acres of woodland
amounting to thousands of acres, and the building of many miles of
roads through them, it is necessary that one should have witnessed it,
and it must not be forgotten that the transportation was all by team and
wagon, either to Haverstraw, 16 miles, Buskirk's Landing on the Hack-
ensack river, 20 miles, or Hoboken, 32 miles. One million pounds of
nails per year was one of the items in that problem of transportation,
besides others incident to it.

It cannot be doubted that at that time the industries carried on by
the Messrs. Pierson were the most important of any in Rockland county,
and that the benefits accruing to the surrounding sections of Orange
county, the town of Ramapo, and Bergen county, N. J., were among the
principal if not the chief factors in their growth and prosperity.

We are now at the date of 1812. In 1814 was begun the erection
of a cotton mill five stories high, 140x40 feet in length and width, beside
a dye house and machine shop fovir stories and attic, built of brick,
and a stone building for storing cotton. These buildings were completed
and in operation in 1816, and cost $155,848. The operation of this
plant nearly doubled the business of the place and the population was
increased to about 700.

The joint interest of Jeremiah H. and Isaac Pierson, the surviving
brothei-s was incorporated under the name of the Ramapo Manufactui--
ing Company.

In 1828 the rations of liquor, which had been a general custom, was
stopped. This custom was pretty common for many years later among
employers of the surrounding section, but happily has finally passed,
never to be revived, we may hope.

In 1830 the manufacture of blister steel and wood screws was com-
menced, and it is to be noted that the machine for heading and slotting
screws was invented by Jeremiah TI. Pierson and is the same as used
for that purpose at the present time. The surveys of the Erie Railroad
were made in 1835 through the village. In August, 1841, section

524 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

number 21, was reported complete by Mr. Jeremiah II. Pici"son and
on May 24th, 1841, twenty-four tons of spring steel were transported
to section 10 (below Spring Valley), whence they were taken by rail
to Piennont, and on the 23rd of September of the same year the first
passenger train came as far as Kamapo. Tradition has it that there was
a great celebration and feast at the "Smith House" in celebration of the
event. Ten years later a change had come which virtually put an end
for a time to these industries.

''Space does not allow us to touch upon various subjects for com-
pai-ison between then and now which are suggested by a review of books,
letters and papers preserved going back over ninety years, but men-
tion should be made of the busy Uves. There are some still living who
remember this activity and there are many names now familiar in the
urgent questions in this section that were so in those busy times, which
made Eamapo a "hive of industry" for many years long gone by. Of
the worthy mechanics who "served their time" and honored their crafts
here and elsewhere — of the farmers, the yeomen of Rockland and
Orange, in New York and Bergen counties, IST. J., who found at Eam-
apo a market for their produce — of the valuable inventions made or
developed here, which pioneered the way for the better things of our
time.

It is remarkable, indeed, the number of valuable inventions which
liave been develojied at this place. Besides the machinery for cutting
nails, the slitting machines for making nail rods, the power looms for
throwing different colors (weaving of different colors had been done
solely by hand up to that time), and the machine for heading and slot-
ting wood screws and others by the brothers Josiah and Jei'emiah H.
Pierson, we may mention the file cutting machine of Mr. John Crum,
winch after many improvements made to it has caused "file cutting" by
hand to be an almost lost art, and the invention of Mr. William W. Snow
of several improvements in car wheels and various other devices in his
line of biTsiness may be mentioned.

From 1851 to 1864 this place was often styled the deserted village,
but in the latter year Mr. Charles T. Pierson started the Pamapo Car
"Works. Then began a transformation. ISTew hoiises were built, the
town beautified and improved and a crowd of woi-kmcn employed. In
Isr.G this was added to by the formation of the Ramapo Wheel and

HIRAM KNAI'P.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 525

Foundry Company, with Ilcnry L. Pierson as President, George Chnrcli
as Treasurer, Charles T. Piei-son, Secretary, and William W. Snow, Su-
perintendent. This last concern had a prosperous career for many years,
under the management of Mr. Snow. Its principal business was the
manufacture of car wheels, both cast iron and steel tired, as well as
improved brake shoes and other work in the same line. The principal
part of its business having been merged with the Steel Tired Wheel
Company, the company afterward went into voluntary liquidation. A
new company has been organized, called the Kamapo Car Wheel Co.,
and is occupying the plant of the former company for the same kind of
manufacture, that is, car wheels for steam and electric service, and other
castings.

The principal organizers of the company were: P. 11. Griffin and T.
Guilford Smith, of Buffalo, and Gen. J. Fred Pierson and Garret Bur-
gert, of Ramapo.

The Pierson estate consists of about 8,000 acres at the present day.

SLOATSBUEG.

Under this head we shall include what was in early years known as
"Datei-'s Works" or "Pleasant Valley," as well as the portion of Stony
Brook Valley which lies within the town of Ramapo. The general
name "Sloatsburg" being now applied to the whole of this territory.

It is doubtful whetlier there is any point within the town which has
increased in population within recent years as has this. The reason for
this growth is found in the establishment of the celebrated Tuxedo Park.
The teiTitory within the park is entirely exchisive, and as many hun-
dreds of thousands of dollars, not to say millions, have been laid out in
building of roads, erecting residences and other work, hundreds of
mechanics, tradesmen and laborers have been attracted to the nearest
point where the property was not under the control of the Park Asso-
ciation, which point is Sloatsburg.

The village now extends from the Orange county line southward
to the crossing of the Sterling Mountain railroad, and the old Orange
Turnpike, about one and a half miles in length, besides considerable
extensions towards the east in the Stony Brook valley, and to the west-
ward on the road to Eingwood and Sterling.

526 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

From the history of the Town of Eamapo by the Eev. Mr. Cobb we
take the following facts relating to the earliest history of this section:

"In the history of Bergen county, N. J., we find that Abram Dater
was living on a farm situated on the Island Road which runs southward
past the Mahwah Reformed Clmrch, about three miles below the Jersey
line, at Suffem. In the early years of 1800 he is found engaged in the
iron manufacturing business at Pleasant Valley, or the upper part of
the present Sloatsburg. Here he operated six charcoal forges and owned
large tracts of woodlands. In 1806 Mr. Jeremiah H. Pierson, of whom
we shall see more later on, writes, 'We have concluded to offer you (Mr.
Dater) £45 per ton for iron of Sterling pig drawn to guagc, provided
you engage to deliver us a given quantity, say 30 or 40 tons, or the chief
part of the iron you make."

In 1812 Mr. Dater was the second largest taxpayer in Hempstead
(Town of Ramapo), and employed about 140 persons. In 1820 the finn
was Dater & Ward. Thomas Ward was the son-in-law of Mr. Dater.
Upon the death of Mr. Dater, in 1831, the works were sold to the ster-
ling Company, which operated them for a short time. In 1849 they
came into the hands of N. Potter Thomas and later A. H. Dow operated
them and still later, until 1854, when John Savsen had them in charge.

These forges were on both sides of the Ramapo, between the present
dam and the road bridge which spans the river a short distance below.

Mr. Dater also ran a grist-mill, which stood on the site of the shoddy
mill now owned by Hiram Knapp, and a forge known as the "Split Rock
Forge," on Stony Brook. Here was also a saw-mill built by Mr. Ward,
and later this property came into the hands of Mr. Adna Allen, who con-
verted the buildings into a shop for the manufacture of hoes. Mr. Allen
was one of the pioneers in the making of handy tools for fanners, which
have replaced those heavy and crude ones which were in early days in
their hands and were shaped by the local blacksmith. Here, too, in
1871, Mr. Allen's son, Edward F., established a gTist-mill and later a
saw-mill and bark-mill, which are still standing and in use. A large
portion of the Dater estate was owned for a time by the Sloatsburg Man-
ufacturing Company, which is now the property of Mr. Charles Seidler,
biit there is still a considerable section of it in possession of Mr. Dater's
great grand-children.

As we come down the valley, about a mile from the Orange county
line, we are in the limits of the original Sloatsburg. Here we find the

TOWN OF RAMAPO. S27

old railroad station, built of brick, on land given by Mr. Jacob Sloat
for the purpose, shoi-tly after the opening of the line to Goshen.

The earliest bit of history of the section we have was the purchase
by Wynant Van G elder from the Indian proprietors of the tract of land
upon which the village is built. This purchase was made the 7th of
March, 1738. The deed for this purchase is printed under titles to lauds.

Isaac Van Duser had purchased the adjoining tract to the south and
married Van Gelder's daughter and was given the Van Gelder land as
well. In course of time Mr. Van Duser had a daughter of marriageable
age and it came about that Stephen Sloat, a Hollander, bom March 25tli,
1727, came into the valley from New York and married this daughter,
and also became possessor of this tract by gift from his father-in-law,
March 25th, 1763. The childi-en of this marriage were John, Isaac,
Mary and Elizabeth. John was the father of Commodore Sloat, who
commanded the American naval forces on, the Pacific coast during the
Mexican war, was a captain in the Cornwall Militia during the Kevolu-
tion, and was killed. (The writer has understood that Capt. Sloat was
shot by an American sentry stationed at the Sloat home, through mis-
take, but does not vouch for the truthfulness of the statement). Isaac
inherited the paternal estate, ilary married James Westervelt, a mer-
chant of New York, and Elizabeth died in youth.

Isaac, the inheritor of the estate, left two sons, Stephen and Jacob,
who succeeded to the property jointly. The stone house occupied by
William L. E. Sloat was the original Sloat mansion. It was of capacious
dimensions and seiwed as a public house on the old post road from New
York to Albany. (It was one of a number of such houses in the valley
between Monroe, in Orange county, and Ilackensack, N. J.). They were
■all well patronized and popular. We will give the names of some of
them, beginning with the Coffee House, kept by John Coffee, at South
Eield; the Ward House, at Pleasant Valley, kept by Thomas Ward;
the Sloat House, at Sloatsburg, kept by Isaac Sloat; Suffern and Wan-
amaker Houses, at Suffern; the Winter House, at Mahwah; Prospect
House, at Kamsey; Bamper House, at New Prospect, now Waldwick;
Hopper House, at Hohokus (formerly Hoppertown); the Zabriskie
House, at Red Mills. Of these there are three still standing, though
not used as public houses. These are the Coffee and Sloat houses, in the
Pamapo Valley, and the Bamper House, at Waldwick.

S28 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

At tte house of Stephen Sloat, "in the Clove," for twenty-three years
after the separation of the two counties, the Supervisors of each met
in joint session along with one of the Judges of the Court of Common
Pleas of each county for the purposes of examining the mortgages, min-
utes and accounts of the loan officers appointed in the county of Orange
under the act for loaning moneys belonging to the State, and here also
the stages were wont to stop for dinner.

In 1798, when the separation between the counties occurred, the
di\-isiou line was so fixed as to place the Sloat property within Orange
covmty, but in 1800, upon representation made by the people of that
section, it was changed to where the line now runs.

The first mill erected in this part, of Sloatsburg was built in 1815.
It was a frame structure, about 20x60 feet, and three stories in height,
with two wings. It was constructed by Jacob, the second son of Isaac
Sloat. (A tannery had been operated by Isaac Sloat as early as 1792).
This gentleman was something of a mechanical genius and was the
founder of the industries which lent to the village so much importance.

This mill, which is still standing, marks the exact spot where one
of the old Indian proprietors had his wig-wam, and here the daughter
of Van Duser, and wife of Isaac Sloat, used to visit the Indian women
and was taught to use the bow and aiTow. One of the \vings of this mill
was used as a machine and smith's shop, where heavy mill screws and
vises were made. In the main part cotton cloth was made, and a dcjiart-
ment was occupied as a shop for making stocks and dies, in which Mr.
Sloat led the New York market.

About 1824 Charles Danforth, who later became prominent as a
manufacturer of cotton machinery and still later of locomotives, was
engaged with Mr. Sloat as foreman at a salary of $1.25 a day. While
thus engaged he conceived the idea of a new spindle, which after much
labor and time spent, he was forced to abandon. Mr. Sloat, who had
watched with interest Mr. Danforth's efforts, offered to help liini on
condition that he should share the profits. Mr. Sloat went to his shop
and made an addition of a conical cap to the spindle and thiis was the
cap spindle made a success. For this improvement Mr. Danforth took
out patents in this country and Europe and thus laid the foimdation of
the large fortune he amassed.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 529

It is not told that Mv. Sloat benefited nmcli by his mechanical skill
in this instance. Indeed, it is pretty certain that he did not.

The mill at Sloatsburg continued running on cotton cloth with but
few changes until 1836, when some enlargements were made in the
building. In 1838 weaving was discontinued and the mill was nin on
cotton warps. In 1839 the fimi of J. Sloat & Co. was established, with
Jacob and Stephen Sloat and John Quackenbush and John S. Wester-
velt as partners. N^ew and improved machinery was put up and the
making of cotton twine was added to the business. Mr. Sloat having, in
1840, patented a process for dressing cotton twine, the demand for it
became so great that all the spindles were turned to the making of it.
This led to the erection of the first brick mill, in 1846, 152x34 feet,
which increased the output from 2,500 pounds per week to 6,000 pounds.
In 1853 the Sloatsburg Manufactiu'ing Company was incorporated.
This company comprised the members of the old finn. In 1857 one hun-
dred and twenty-eight feet was added to the length of the mill. By this
enlargement the capacity was increased to 8,000 pounds per week.

Both Stephen and Jacob Sloat were men of domestic habits and
took no prominent part in public ailairs, but stood high in the respect
and confidence of their fellow townsmen.

Both married in early life, Stephen's wife being Miss Mary Ward,
sister of Thomas Ward. They had a good sized family of children.
Those who grew up were Isaac, Peter, John Jacob, William L. F. and
Spencer S., Xancv, who married James S. Wanamaker; Emeline, mar-
ried Charles D. Wood, and Mary Jane, who became the wife of Judge
Andrew E. SiifFern.

Jacob Sloat married Miss Sarah Hollenl>eck, of Great Bamngton,
Mass. Their children who gxew to maturity were: Louisa, Martha,
Mary Ward and Henry E. Louisa married G. Myers Anderson, of
Ilackensack, N". J. IMartha became the vnic of IST. P. Fassett, a lawyer,
of Elmira, N. Y. She is the mother of Jacob Sloat Fassett, who became
prominent in the politics of the State of New York, and was the candi-
date of the Republican party for Governor. The third daughter, Mary
Ward, maiTied Dr. Parkhurst, a physician of Brooklyn.

Henry E., who is the youngest of the children who grew up, is living
at Sloatsburg, and is well known throughout the town and county, as
well as in New York city, where his business is. He has been twice mar-

530 HISTORY OF KOCKLAND COUNTY.

ried. His first wife was Henrietta, daughter of Joachim Shults, of Flor-
ida, in Orange county, IST. Y., and his second Avife is Caroline Shults,
also daughter of Joachim Shults.

Mr. Sloat served one term as Supervisor of the Town of Eamapo.

STEELIKGTON.

Coming down the valley we reach this hamlet, which is a station on
the Erie E. E., at the jimction of the Sterling Mountain railroad, which
road was opened in 1865. At that time it became known as Sterling
Junction and was so called until 1SS2, when a post office was established
and given the name it now bears. It was known as the Y when the Erie
road was first opened, because here was a Y on which locomotives were
turned, and a short time later the name was changed to Pierson's Depot.

It was here that Samuel Sidman lived diiring the Eevolution. It
was he who gave the name to the lower part of the Eamapo Pass or
Clove during the Eevolution. Nearby where he lived is an old cem-
etery. Here are rough stones which bear the foUomng inscriptions:
"Nancy Smith, died Aug. 19th, 1803, aged 77;" "Agnes Smith, bom
Feb. 4, 1760, died Aug. 10, 1804." Another stone bears this inscrip-
tion: "1776, Ac to Bar 13 G. N. or G. V." Who rests there is not
known.

John Sloat, who was shot during the Eevolution, was inteiTed here,
but his remains were removed to a cemetery on Staten Island by his
grandson, "Waddington Sloat, a son of the late Commodore Sloat, about
four years since.

From this point has been opened a private road through the moun-
tains to those beautiful little lakes, Negro Pond and Shepperd's Pond,
and across to the Wanaque Valley at Eingwood. This under restric-
tions is much used by the public for pleasure driving and affords one of
the most charming drives to be imagined, amid scenery of siirpassing
beauty. Near these lakes are several handsome residences of wealthy
and prominent New York city people.

MINEEALS, ETC.

While at Dater's forges, at Eamapo works, and at Hillbuni and Suf-
fcrn, iron works have been operated, still so far as known no iron ore or
other minerals used in these works was mined or produced mthin the

CHARLES E. POST.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 531

town of Ramapo. Ore was brought in from the neighboring sections of
Sterling and Ivingwood to supply the demands of these places. So far
as yet developed there are no valuable minerals within the town. On
the high plateau about two miles south of Ladentown is a section some-
times called Egypt. Specimens of copper ore have been found, but as
yet no effort has been made to explore it. When the Erie Eailroad, in
1854, built its double track there was opened at Eamapo village a quany
of granite for use in building bridges, retaining walls, etc. Work was
continued for some time and stone shipped to various points, both east
and west, on its line. This stone is not a pure granite, but has good
strength and has in numerous instances been used in the erection of fine
dwellings. At the time the railroad tunnel was built through the Ber-
gen Hill, west of Hoboken, a larg^ quantity of stone was taken from
this place and xised for abutments for bridges at street crossings. Later
a quany was opened to the westward of Hillburn on property owned
by J. C. Conklin, of Haverstraw. It was a part of the Edward Siifferu
estate. This has been worked by different operators from that time.
Mr. Hart fiimished this stone for one of the arches of the beautiful
Washing-ton Bridge across the Harlem river. Much stone has been
taken from here for residences in Tuxedo Park and some in Paterson and
jSTewark. Messrs. Becraft & Dunwoodie are doing a considerable
amount of work here at present, and other enterprises in the same line
are in contemplation. At the extreme western end of Hook Mountain,
at Mt. Ivy, Mr. Gurnce is operating a stone crusher. His output is
used for making roads.

The follo^ving is a list of the citizens of Ramapo who served in the
Rebellion, possibly not all having lived therein at the time of enlistment:

In 17th iST. Y. M. — William Hendricks, Robert Johnson, Harrison
Iloyt, William Iloyt, Tunis Johnson, Alex. McMurty, Andrew Osbom,
Bcnj. S. Slinn, John II. Goetchius, Chester Forshee, Wilbur II. Fur-
man, Cornelius Blauvelt, S. P. Blauvelt, John W. Cnim, Edward Cnim,
Leonard Cooper, Alpheus J. Coe, Augustus Coe, Abraham L. Vauder-
bilt, Jacob Wanamakcr, I. Wlialey, Alfred Smith, D. Springsteen, Chas.
Young, Alfred Young, Robert Springsteen, Lewis Dusenbery, Nelson
Conklin.

In 78th N". Y. V. — Jacob Ackeraian.

532 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

In 1st N. Y. V. — Fred J. Pierson, John Quinn, W. Wallace, Martin
Conklin.

In 143d N. Y. v.— S. B. Decker.

In 7th Heavy Artillery — Abram Storms, Charles Babcock, Geo. H.
Cronk, James Morrison, J. H. Dow, Dewitt Gamson.

In 56th N. Y. V.— John M. Barns, L. McElroy, James Clark.

In 124th N. Y. V.— J. J. Nichols, Samuel Call, Isaiah Conklin, J.
H. Finck, George Conklin, John DegTaw, Edmund Allen, Jas. H. Bams,
Wm. Becraft, Harvey Bush, Charles Cable, J. C. Bead, W. Twigg, Jo-
seph Wood, Rufus Hoyt, William Cronk.

In 8th N. Y. v.— Jacob H. Debaun.

In 127th N. Y. V. — Peter Tallman, James Creaney, Simeon For-
shay, Geo. W. Wood.

In Sth ISr. J. v.— Charles H. Acres.

In 133d N. Y. V. — Abram Fui-man, M. Newonan.

In 1st 'N. Y. Zouaves — Charles Duval.

In 1st N. Y. Engineers — Geo. McLavighlin, Richard B. Biker, Isaac
Babcock, S. H. Barbarrow, Sylvester Bams, Adam Becraft, J. A. Be-
craft, Josephus Ronk, Isaac Smith, Chas. Whritenour, Stephen S. Wood,
C. Youmans.

In 89th ]Sr. Y. V.— James W. Babcock, J. J. Ilogan.

In 12th N. Y. M. — Thomas Allen, John D. Blauvelt, Joseph Dicks,
James E. Frails.

In 22d ]Sr. Y. V. — Geo. Babcock, Wm. Demarest, Theodore Kings-
land, Chas. Montaya.

In 9th Mass. — Gerard B. Hammond.

In 13th N. Y. v.— Charles Gainer.

In 33d N. J. v.— Harmon T. Blauvelt.

In 5th N". Y. V. — Garret G. Garrison, H. H. Ramsay.

In 145th IST. Y. V. — Anthony Cately, Samuel A. Lockwood, Luther
Maroney.

In 25th IST. Y. V. — John Coleman, Rinear Fisher.

In 168th X. Y. V.— Bartley Brown.

In ]st Heavy Artillery — Frederick Myers.

In 2d ]Sr. Y. M. — Charles Norris.

In IST. Y. Cavalry — Samuel Cole.

In 90th K Y. V.— J. J. Conklin, W. H. Conklin.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. S33

In 25th :N'. Y. Y.— Walter Conkliu.

In llTth X. Y. v.— Samuel Edwards.

In 74tli N. Y. Y.— W. H. Cable, Henry DeGraw, Charles Slawson,
Eeiiben Slawson, James Storms, Thomas Storms.

In 40th N. J. Y.— Jacob D. Cole.

In 45th N. Y. v.— Ernest E. Eike, E. E. Eike, Jr.

In 6th Heavy Artillery — Alfred Conklin, Orville Conklin, Yalen-
tine Fields, William Higgins, C. B. Tenure, George H. Jones.

In 95th J^. Y. Y. — William Conklin, Reuben Kiggs, Elias Scott,
Eichard Smith, Jacob Swartwout, Theodore Smith, E. E. Paul, Thomas
Hastings, Casper Moifatt, Peter M. Osborn.

In OSd ]Sr. Y. Y. — Isaac Cooper.

In 53d ]^. Y. Y.— Henry Finney.

In 112th X. Y. Y.— John W. Everett.

In 10th E. I. Y.— James A. Flate.

In 24th N. Y. Y. — Joseph Fredenburg.

In 2Gth X. Y. Y. — James DeGroat, Obadiah DeGroat.

In 15th Heavy Artillery- — Henry Garrison, George W. Patterson.

In 54th X. J." Y.— Eichard Odell.

In 61st X. Y. Y. — Ralph G. Iserman, Judson Young.

In 156th X. Y. Y.^Matthew Lawrence.

In 2d X. Y. Y. — Andrew Leport.

In 79th X. Y. Y.— James H. Goetchius.

In 5th U. S. Light Artillery — A. J. Hemion.

In 19th X. Y. Y.— S. F. Hungerford.

In 142d X. Y. Y.— David May.

In 1st X. J. Artillery — Cornelius McElroy.

In 71st X. Y. Y.— Josiah F Quimby.

In 1st Mich.— T. F. Reed.

In 14th X. J. Y.— Arthur Roxby.

In 2d Infantry — John E. Secor.

In 9th X. Y. Y.— Herman Shewitt.

In 6th X. Y. Y. — Arch. Smith, Garret Smith, George Smith, Daniel
Starr, Jr., W. H. Wood, Jacob S. Starr, Xelson Wood.

In 57th X. Y. Y.— John Smith, A. J. Wilson.

In 144th X. J. Y.— Daniel Starr.

In 54th X. Y. Y.— Samuel Starr, John YanZile.

534 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

In 2d ¥. Y. v.— Frank K. Stephens.
In 7th N. Y. v.— John F. Tienley.
In 1st Wisconsin Cavalry — John M. Vanllonten.
In 15th Cavalry — W. H. VanVoorhis.
In 13th N. J. V. — Cornelius H. Wanamaker.
In 176th N. Y. V.— Erastus D. Whittcn.

In 15th Heavy Artillery — Marcus Whritenour, Heniy E. Wright.
In 3d Cavalrj' — Cornelius T. Yomnans.
In 114th N. J. V. — Joseph Youmans.
In 1st Marine Artillery — John C. Young.
In ISTavy — John Whritenour.

Others in Service — John Fiinston, P. A. Eller, John Ilennion,
Frank Lockwood, George Phillips, William Phillips.

HILLBUEN".

Coming farther down the valley about one and a qiiarter milas we
reach this beautiful little village situated in a cove or broadening of the
valley. This was a part of the home tract of Jolm Sufforn and passed to
•his son, William, who married Martha, oldest daughter of Crinus Bcr-
tholf, a descendant of Dominie Bertholf, the first clergyman to min-
ister to the churches at Hackensack, Aquackanoch and Tapjjan. Crinus
Bertholf lived during the Revolution on the Sheffield farm, on the road
from SufFeni to Pompton. This is the northern part of the Haver-
mycr farm. He was a captain in the New Jersey Militia during the
Eevolution and was in active service at Elizabethport and Hoboken. In
1S04 he purchased property of Adolphus Slmart at Bamapo Works and
lived in the stone house just east of the church. This house is noted on
Erskine's map of early roads.

At William's death, in 1832, it Avas purchased by Iiis oldest son,
James, from his brothers and sisters.

William's old homestead was built in 1822 and was moved and
enlarged in 1860, and became the residence of Mr. James Suffern, he
removing from his old homestead east of Suifcrn, and it is now in pos-
session of his family.

On a small stream which falls into tlie Eamapo from the mountains
to the westward, Jolm Suifern built a saw-mill in 1795, and in 1848

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 535

James Siiffcrn built a charcoal forge, throwing a clam across the Eamapo
river aud combining the power of that stream with that of the former.

To the forge was added, in 1852, a rolling-mill for making car axles
and merchant iron. The works gave employment to about thirty men,
and the product was principally sold to the Erie Railroad. They were
abandoned in 1872. At about this time Mr. Suifcru and his son, James
Bogert, conceived the idea of having a road ciit through the property,
it having been previously shut off from outer communication, except by
a private i-oad of considerable length. Application was made and the
town authorities laid the road which now iims from the old Orange
Turnpike at the railroad bridge near Eamapo to the New Jersey line,
following along the right or west bank of the Ramapo for the most of
the distance. This is now known as Lake avenue. A little later the
New Jersey authorities continued this to a junction with the main val-
ley road to Pompton, at the Havemeyer property.

Scarcely had this road been laid when Messrs. George Coffin, George
Church and William W. Snow, on behalf of the Ramapo Wheel and
Foimdry Company, attracted by the beauty and advantages of the loca-
tion, purchased property of Mr. Suffern and immediately proceeded to
plan and lay out a village, to build houses and to encourage and assist
their employes to biiy lots upon which they could erect i>ermanent
homes. Mr. W. W. Snow took for himself a considerable portion of
this purchase and erected the large and substantial home he now occu-
pies. It is but just to assert that to Mr. Snow's fostering care of, and
interest in the village, it is indebted for its substantial growth and pros-
perity. Always thoughtful of its welfare, he has been first in devising
plans that gave to its prosperity a substantial basis. The first name of
the village was Woodburn and it was known by this name until July,
1882, when a post office was established.

Shortly after this purchase by the company and the beginning of
building operations, J. Bogert Suffern, who had succeeded to an interest
in a part of the property of his father, laid out a section of it and made
several sales to individuals. Among these were: Wm. H. Hollister,
Lewis Sibly, Charles C. Wight, John Ilults, Thomas Heslin, Louis Mar-
tin and Lyman Curtis. Thus was the village launched and we shall see
the changes which have brought growth and prosperity in their train.

536 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

At first about fifteen houses, accommodating twenty-seven families,
were erected, and before these were completed, upon suggestion of Mr.
Snow and the Rev. Mr. Bouney, of the Ramapo Presbytei-ian Chiirch,
a house suitable for a day and Sunday school was undei-taken. At once
a subscription was started and money raised for that puipose. This build-
ing was ready to be occupied about Christmas, 1873. Mr. J. B. Suffcrn
donated the ground and Mr. James Suffem laid the foundation.

The fii-st day school teacher was Miss Sarah Blauvelt. J. B. Suffem
was the first Sunday school superintendent, with Mr. Charles C. "Wright
as assistant, and the Rev. Perez B. Bouney pastor. To this building have
been added two large additions and a class-room, and it has become the
main school (building) of the 15th School District of the To\vn of Ram-
apo. A church and another school building have been erected, which will
have further notice. One of the first things done by the Ramapo Wheel
and Foundry Company was the introdiiction of a water supply taken
from the mountain brook heretofore mentioned. By this means a supply
of pure water was obtained. Wooden pipes were used to lead the water
to the settlement.

In 1876 a brass band was organized, under the leadership of Charles
G. Hoar. In 1881 the territory inchided in the village of Hillburu was
erected into a separate school district, No. 1 5, by William Van Wagoner,
School Commissioner, it having theretofore been a part- of District No. 3
(Suffern). W. W. Snow was chosen as the first Trustee, and J. B. Suf-
fem, Clerk.

July 13th, 1881, the "Ramapo Iron Woiks" a company, was organ-
ized. W. E. Wilkins, of New York, was President; George Church, of
Great Barrington, Mass., Treasurer; R. J. Davidson, of Ramapo Works,
Secretary; Fred W. Snow, of Hillburn, Superintendent. It may be
added that Mr. William W. Snow had a large interest in this company
as well as great influence in its management This company came into
existence because of the recent improvements in track equipment for
railroads, such as automatic switch stands, split swatches, frogs, etc. A
foundry was included in the equipment and later a shop for building,
cars. From time to time additions and improvements have been made
until the property they had originally purchased from Mr. George W.
Suffern became pretty well covered. Their business having increased to
such an extent as to occupy nearly all of their space, a new company,

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 537

composed of all tlio active members of this one togctlier with some new
names, was organized and named the "Kamapo Foundry Company."
This new company took over the foundry portion of the business of the
old company and erected a plant at Mahwah, ^N. J.

As may be imagined, the year 1881 marked an important period
in the history of the village. Beside the works erected by the "Ramapo
Iron Works" that company erected several houses to accommodate their
workmen. The existence of the "Ramapo AVheel and Foundry Co." at
Ramapo and the new life of the "Ramapo Iron Works," and the organ-
ization of the "Building and Loan Association," led to a mild boom in
the matter of erecting houses here, and some private parties, especially
Mr. John J. Hogan, a merchant of Hillburn, and Peter W. Mclndoe, of
New York, discovering that there was "money in it," took a hand in
helping on the work.

Again, on Nov. 1st, 1887, a company called the "Hillburn Power
and Building Company" was formed. The object of this company was
to erect buildings and furnish power to such parties as might wash to
locate in this section. Messrs. W. W. Snow, John C. Messemer, John J.
Hogan, J. Bogei't Suffern, Peter W. Mclndoe, Dwight B. Baker and
J. Louis Suffern were the membei-s of the company. J. B. Suffern was
its President; J. J. Hogan, Secretary, and Mr. Messemer, Treasurer.

The immediate result was that a party from Patei"son applied for
the building of a silk mill to be furnished with power. The "Power and
Building Company" thereuixin took a lease from ]\Iajor James Sutfern,
of the water power and site where his "rolling-mill" had stood, and pro-
ceeded to erect a building, and put in a water wheel, engine, etc., and
the party taking the lease filled the mill with machinery for the manu-
facture of silk. This gave employment to a number of boys and girls,
and for a time it was thought to be a good thing, and was no doubt the
cause of some of the growth of the village. But like many other silk
mills, this one burned down, and its site is now occupied by the building
and plant of the Rockland Electric Company. This company was organ-
ized to furnish electricity for power and lighting, and obtained the nec-
essary franchise. It is still doing business and has contracts for lighting
the villages of Hillburn and Suffern.

Among the organizers of this company were William W. Snow, R.
J. Davidson, James B. Pampher, H. C. Wanamaker, R. G. Rigg's, Chas.
B. Cliurch, J. Bogert Suffern, J. Louis Suffern and J. J. Ilogan.

538 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Coincident with the organization of the Rockland Electric Company
the Mountain Spring "Water Company was formed, -wdth the purpose of
supplying water, not only to Hillbum, but Suffem and adjacent
territory as well. The necessary franchises for this pui*pose were
obtained. The organizers were: William W. Snow, Chas. E. Church,
E. J. Davidson, Fred W. Snow, J. B. Suffern, E. G. Eiggs, H. C. Wau-
amaker, J. J. Hogan, J. I. Traphagen, etc., etc.

The Ramapo Wheel and Foundry Company sold their water works
to the new company, taking its stock for their plant, which had recently
been improved by replacing the old wooden piping with cast iron pipes.

Immediately upon the organization of the company surveys were
made and work begun in establishing the plant in Suflem and improving
that in Hillbum.

In 1893 the village was incori^orated. The legal steps for that pur-
pose having been taken, an election was held of the legal voters upon the
question, "Shall the village of Hillburn be incorporated?" This was
decided in the affirmative.

The first election for villag'e officers was held on Augiist 16th, 1893,
and the following were chosen:

President — James B. Suffern.

Tnistees — James B. Suffeni, Henry Becraft, Samuel S. !Mapes,
Louis Martin.

Treasurer — Schuyler C. Pew.

Collector — Joseph H. Wood.

Mr. Suffern held the office of President from August 10th, 1893,
to March 21st, 1899, and Mr. Pew that of Treasurer continuously to
the present time. Mr. Joseph H. Wood was elected President to suc-
ceed Mr. Suffeni and held the office two terms. Mr. Wood was suc-
ceeded by Eobert Wolf, who is the present incumbent and serving his
second term. Those who have been Trustees are Messrs. Fred W. Snow,
Joseph B. Williams, John McElroy, Chaimcy Andrews, Thomas Gould
and John Banker.

The population of the village as shown by the census taken in 1901
is 985.

As has been noticed, among the first things having the attention of
our people was church services and the education of the children. How
a bnildinc was erected to accommodate these interests and how that

TOWN OF RAMAPO. S39

building became the nucleus of the "District School house," has been
mentioned. We will now show what further has been done on
those lines.

The church work in Hillbum has been done under the patronage
and care of the Presbyterian Church of Ramapo Works, and will bo
treated of in connection with that organization, but we may here note
that under its auspices two houses of worship have been erected, they
being, first. Brook C'hapel, a bviilding for the use of the colored people
of the village and vicinity. A suitable lot was donated and a building
costing $1,100 was erected. A considerable portion of this sum was
contributed by the colored people themselves. The building was com-
pleted during 1892.

Second, a handsome and commodious chapel was erected by the
Presbyterians. In this building is a room for preaching service, also a
Sunday school room, and in the basement are held church enter-
tainments.

About 1893 a religious movement took place which led Tiltimately
to the establishing of a church in comaection with the Methodist Protest-
ant Comrhunion. For several years the Rev. Jacob Troust, ^vith others,
had been conducting a mission and had held regular services. In 1899
this culminated in the erection of a building and the establishment of the
church of that denomination. Regular services are held and a flourish-
ing Sabbath school is maintained. The church building stands at the
south west comer of Fifth street and Hickory Avenue.

When the Presbyterian Chapel was completed, the school build-
ing and property had been held by Wm. W. Snow, James B. Suf-
fern and William W. Hollister, as trustees for the people of the village,
to be used for both school and church purposes, the building and
improvements being paid for by a system of self-assessment, these
trustees turned the title over to the school district, and since then
the school district as such has attended to the care and maintenance of
them. Improvements have been made in them from time to time, and
as previously stated, there are tlu-ee good sized rooms and a class-room,
well furnished and fitted with proper apparatus. The Library has
received considerable attention and contains over 500 volumes. It was
found, however, that this building was too small, and a new building,
22x50 was erected and fitted up for pupils in the primary gi-ades at a
cost of $2,500. Six teachci-s are now employed.

540 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

FIRE DEPARTMEXT.

On April IStli, 1894, a resolution of the Board of Village Trustees
was passed, aTitliorizing the organization of a fire company consisting
of not more than thirty members. Mr. F. W. Snow was appointed chief.

The following were the first members: E. H. Terwilliger, T. F.
Keene, W. G. Easton, George Freeman, W. N. Phillips, D. M. Pratt,
E. M. Hogan, W. D. Brewster, C. JST. Hogan, H. G. Steorees, G. W.
Conklin.

May 7th, 1895, a petition of a majority of the taxable inhabitants
was presented to the Village Board to make a contract with tlie Moun-
tain Spring Water Company to install hydrants and furnish water for
fire jjurposes. On June 14th a resolution authorizing the signing of a
contract was passed.

On May 28th, 1900, the Village Board entered into a contract with
the Rockland Electric Company for the lighting of the streets and ways
of the village, the contract to run for five years.

SUFFERN.

The territory embraced \\'ithin the limits of this village was from
1776 owned by two men, Adolph "VVixnmaker and John Suffem, the lat-
ter owning the greater portion. The families of both these men are still
represented in the o\vnership of property within the village and in the
adjacent country.

Mr. Suffem upon his settlement here in 1773 called it New Antrim,
after his birth place in the north of Ireland, and in 1797 the post office
established here was called by that name, Mr. Suffern being the post-
master. This was the first post office established in the town of Ramapo.
While Mr. Suifem and his family held to that name, the people of the
surrounding coimtry called it the "Point of the Mountain." At a very
early date it was considered of importance geographically, because from
here radiated roads in many directions, and because here the Post Road
on the west side of the Hudson entered the Ramapo Pass. Here at the
jimction of the Nyack and Haverstraw roads with the Post Road (pres-
ent crossing of Washington and Lafayette avenues) he luiilt liis first

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 541

house, in 1773, and in 1776 added a larger one, where he opened a store,
which was a distinguished landmark during the Revolution and many
years after.

Because of the prominent part he took in the affairs of the county
and town, as well as this immediate vicinity, a more extended notice of
Mr. Suffern is due. He was bom near Antrim, Ireland, November 23d,
1741, and died in his home, New Antrim (Suffern), on November 11th,
1836, aged 95 years. His father's name was William and his mother
was Margaret Templeton. He landed at Philadelphia August 6th, 1763,
and man-ied Mary Myers, daughter of Andrew and Frances Myei-s, of
Burlington, N. J., January 1st, 1766. Mary was bom May 5th, 1745,
died February 26th, 1813. After being settled for years at Haverstraw
he came to Suffern in 1773. Here he took up the busy career which
distinguished him asi the largest land-owner in the Town of Ramapo.
He was a man of immense energy, which led him to engage in many
enterprises, not only at his home, but at Haverstraw as well, and the
purchase of land about Elmira and other sections of the State. In this
section he engaged in the manufacture of potash, near the Cookson
house. On the Mahwah, near Judge Felter's, he had a forge, a g-rist-
mill and a saw-mill, and about one-third of a mile lower down the stream
he ran a woolen mill. At Haverstraw, in connection \vith his sons,
Andrew, George and John, he engaged in the manufacture of iron,
making nails, nail rods and merchant iron, and obtained large tracts of
land in that to^\Ti. Of his public service it can be said that he was,
during the Revolution, a Justice of the Peace, a member of the Com-
mittee of Safety for Orange county "below the mountain," and a Com-
missary of Purchases and Member of Assembly 1781 and 1782. After
the close of the war he served in varioiis capacities, Justice of the Peace,
Commissioner of Highways and was Coimty Treasurer for Orange
county at the time of separation and was appointed the first Judge of
the county. He was also the first Senator to represent the district to
which Rockland was attached after its erection as a county.

His children were: Margaret, bom Oct. 5th, 1767, wife of Peter
Allison, mother of Hon. George S. Allison; died in New York city Oct.
19th, 1808.

Andrew, born March 23d, 1770, died at New Antrim (Suffern) Oct.
23d, 1827.

542 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Elizabeth, born Jan. 15tb, 1772, wife of John S. Sufferu, of Elmii'a,
N. Y., died Oct. 23d, 1827.

Cornelia, boiii Jan. 31st, 1774, died April, 1859; wife of Dr. Elijak
Kosencrants, of Holiokus, K^. J.

John, born Eeb. 1st, 1776, died in infancy.

Maria, born Sept. 5tb, 1778; wife of Christian A. Wanmaker; died
at Newark, N. J., March 11th, 1868.

James, bom May 13th, 1781; died in S'ew Orleans in ISOi.

William, bom May 13th, 1783; died July 18th, 1832. He was
father of Major James Snffem and Thomas W. Suffem.

George, bom April 2d, 1785; died May 31, 1819.

John, born Feb. 6th, 1788; died at Haverstraw, Aug. 23d, 1863.

Edward, bom April 7th, 1790; died at SufPem Jan. 4th, 1873. He
was educated as a lawyer and served as Ooimty Judge, as did his son
Andrew Edward. John SufFern's son Edward and his gi-andson James
succeeded to the ownership of all the landed property he had retained in
this section, and they operated it in farming for many years.

]^ot until the year 1841, when, the Erie Railroad having been
opened from Piermont to the "Point of the Mountain," and a station
established, was the name "Suffem" given to this section. The station
building fii*st consisted of a platform on posts with a small box build-
ing on it.

The first new building erected after the opening of the railroad was
a store by George W. and John C. Suffern. It is still standing and is
a ]")art of the wooden structiu-e adjoining on the west, the hotel of Wm.
Taylor. Little was done in this building until some years later, two
brothers, John W. and Manning TenEyck, purchased it and conducted
a general store for a number of yeare and were followed by I>anson Trap-
hageu, who purchased the building and continued the business.

He still owns this property, but b^iilt a new store on the corner of
Lafayette avenue and Chestnut street and moved his business to that
point, and, along with J. I. Traphagen, opened a lumber yard.

The second building of importance was the brick hotel now owned
and kept by "William Taylor. Reuben G. Riggs later established the
Eureka House on the opposite side of the street, which is now con-
ducted by his son, Reuben G. A later important biisiness was that of a
lumber yard and store established by Dwight B. Baker and Erastus

J. C. TALLMAN.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 543

Toung. They purcliascd wliat is now known as the Oomesky block from
Mr. George W. Suifern and started business. A couple of years later
Mr. Young sold his interest to Mr. Baker, who continued it until it came
into possession of Mr. Frank Comesky. Later Mr. John H. Wanamaker
erected the large building on the so\itheast corner of Orange and Wayne
avenues and Lafayette avenue, and here Mr. James B. Campbell opened
his drug store. He is still at tliis stand af t«r a long and successful career.

In 1869 the Kamapo Laud and Water Company and the SufFern
Dime Savings Bank were chartered, but as they never got beyond that
stage need no further notice.

Considering the advantageous location and attractiveness of the sur-
rounding country, it must be owned that the growth of the village was
slow at first.

It is necessary to explain here that Edward Suffeni, before his death,
which occim^d in 1873, divided his property, which included the
greater portion of the present settled portion of the village, between his
four sons, George W., John C, Andrew E. and Charles C, George W.
taking the northwestern section lying to the north of Lafayette avenue
which includes the old site of the SufFem family, and also the railroad
station. John C. obtained the southwesterly section, which is bounded on
the north by Lafayette avenue and on the east by Washington avenue.
This he sold to Mrs. Ann Maria Maltbie. Her heirs still own a consider-
able portion of it, but a large section is thickly built iipon, including
what is locally known as the west ward. Andrew E. was given the south-
easterly portion, lying east of Washington avenue, and is now owned by
Messrs. Frank and James E. Comesky. It is being i-apidly built upon.
Charles E. became the owner of the nortlicasteni portion, upon which
was the home of his father. Charles's portion lay on both sides of Lafay-
ette avenue and east of Washington avenue, and included the sites of the
manufacturing entei-prises his grandfather established.

TALLMANS.

Three miles east of SufFern, on the Erie Branch, is the little hamlet
of Tallmans. In 1836 Tunis I. Tallman opened a store here and a rail-
road station was built in 1844. The postoffice was established in 1860
with Heniy T. Tallman postmaster. In 1875 a Congregational Church
was built, a Sunday school having been organized seven years previous.

544 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The place now contains about two dozen houses, several stores, shops,
mills, etc. As the name of the place is that of one of the oldest and best
known families in the county, we mil here insert the Tallman Geneal-
ogy, which follows in the line of James C. Talhnan, a resident of the
place. The progenitors of this family were among the earliest settlers
and landowners in the county and have always taken an active interest
in its affairs. The records in the county show Tallmans have acted from
the earliest times as public officials, members of the family having filled
the offices of Assemblyman, Sun-ogate, Sheriff, Suiwrvisor, Assessor, Jus-
tice of the Peace, etc. They also took an active part in the Kevolution-
arv and Civil Wars and War of 1812, serving in the American army both
as officers and privates.

The Tallmans in Rockland county are descended from Douwe Ilar-
mensen Taelman, who came to America from the province of Friesland,
Holland, in the ship Brownfish, with Dirckie Teunise, his wife, and four
children, in Jime, 1658. The family is of ancient origin, entries of bap-
tisms and marriages of Taelmans having been found in the records of
the Dutch Church of Austin Friars, London, E. C, England, dated as
far back as 1595.

The name, originally spelled "Taelman," means "a man of many
tong-ues," a linguist, or an intei-prcter. It has passed through many
changes, those of Taelman, Taleman, Talaman, Taelma, Talama, Tal-
ema, Taulman, and several others lia^dng been variously used until the
beginning of the 19th century, when that of Tallman was generally
adopted by the descendants of Douwe Harmense, as he was generally
known.

DoTUvc Harmense Taelman settled in New Amsterdam (New York),
but prior to 1662 removed to Bergen (Jersey City), N. J., where he
seems to have lived until his death in 1678. He and his u'ife, Dirckjo
Theunise, were members of the Dutch Church at Bergen at the opening
of the records in 1664. On May 12, 1668, he received from Governor
Philip Cartaret a patent for several tracts of land in and about the to\vn
of Bergen, 'N. J., upon one of which he resided. This Bergen property
finally came into the sole possession of Douwe's son Theunis, who sold
it Oct. 3, 1703, to Mattys De Mott of Bergen for £160 10s.

Between 1671 and 1678 Douwe Harmense purchased a large tract
of land at Nyack, N. Y., including what is now the business portion of

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 545

the village, being about a mile iu width aud extending fi-oiu the Hudson
river back to the Nyack hills. This tract was known as the Douwe Har-
mense Patent and lay between the Claes Jansen patent on the south and
the Tennis Paulsen patent on the north. Subsequently he purchased an-
other tract of 250 acres, which is described as bounded on the east by his
first purchase and by land of Claes Jansen, south by land of Daniel
Clarke, etc., west by the middle of the Hackensack river and north by
the top of a certain hill called Essawetene.

The children of Doiiwe Harmense were Harman, Douwe, Dirckje,
Jannetie and Theunis. Of these Theunis was born at Bergen, jST. J., and
married (first) in 1694 Brechje, daughter of Peter Haring, of Tappan,
and ilargaretta Janse Bogert of Bedford, Long Island, and (second) on
January 11, 1710, Marguetje, daughter of Myndert Hogencamp.

The county of Orange (including then the present Rockland county)
was organized 'Nov. 1, 1683, and Theunis Taehnan was appointed its
first High Sheriff, serv^ing imtil 1702. He removed to Nyack about the
time of the gTant of the Douwe Harmense patent there and appears to
have become possessed of the greater part, if not all, of that property
after his father's death; his total holdings, including his own subsequent
purchases, comprising some 3600 acres. He continued to live in Nyack
until his death on July 17, 1739.

The children of Theunis Taelman by his first wife were Dirck,
Gritje, Dirckje, Douwe, Marytie, Brechie, Hannan and Jan, and by his
second Avife, Brechie, Jannetje, Tennis, Hanne and Autje. Of the chil-
dren by the second marriage, Harme became the owner of the lands com-
prised within the original Douwe Harmensen patent and after his death
the property was divided under his will among his sons in three equal
parts, the north side to Hamianus, the middle to Thunis and the south
to Abraham. The ancient Tallman homestead on Broadway, Nyack,
stands iipon the northern portion of the original patent allotted to Har-
manus (see above) and is believed to have been commenced by Theunis
Taelman about 1678. It is still in good condition, having been enlarged
at four different periods and is now in possession of Miss Clara Tallman,
daughter of the late Teunis Depew Tallman, who was the son of Mychel
Tallman, one of the sons of Ilarmanus Tallman. It will thus be seen
that this old house has been in the continuous possession of the family
for six generations.

546 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Eeturniiig now to the cliildren of Tlicunis Taelmaii by bis first wife,
Breclije Haring — Jan, born January 12, 1709, was a fanner and lived at
Tappan. He married about 1735 Helena Blauvelt, daughter of GeiTet
Blauvelt and Marytie Krom of Tappan. The issue of this niamage were
Theunis, Gerret, Breckje and John, of whom John, a farmer, born at
Tappan Sept. 3, 1751, lived at Greenbush, near Tappan.

During the Revolutionary War John Tallman served as a private in
Col. Ann Hawkes Hay's Orange County regiment of militia from the
Haverstraw precinct, which was employed in active service. He also
acted as a scout and must have rendered valuable services to the Ameri-
can Army at that time, as there is a tradition in the family that the Brit-
ish offered a reward of 35 guineas for his capture. This is further borne
out by the fact that on 'Nov. 1, 1786, he was commissioned by Governor
Geo. Clinton an Ensign in Capt. Cornelius J. Blauvelt's company in
Major Peter Talbnan's Orange County Corps of militia in the Tappan
precinct, in consideration for his services during the war. He witnessed
the execution of Andre at Tappan. On March 23, 1797, he bought a
farm of 157 acres from John Goetschius for £1525, at what was then
known as Masonicus, in the town of ISTew Hempstead, originally a part
of the old Zabriskie patent, and shortly after erected a house thereon
which is still standing, where he resided until his death in 1839. This
locality, now known as Tallman, probably received its name from him,
as he was the projenitor of all the people of that name now living there.

John Tallman about 1777 married Fanny Mabie, daughter of Abra-
ham Mabie and Maria Van Ai-elant of Tappan, and had issue — Bridget,
Mary, John, Tunis and Abraham I. At his death, his fann was divided
among his three sons in nearly equal portions, his son Abraham I. Tall-
man receiving the most northerly portion, upon which stands the house
erected by his father in 1797.

Abraham I. Talbnan, born July 14, 1793, continued as a faiTaer at
Tallman and during the War of 1812 served as a Coi"poral in the 83rd
Regiment of N. Y. Militia. He was Assessor of the town of Ramapo
for several years. He married, Sept. 14, 1814, Maria De Ronde, daugh-
ter of Henry De Ronde and Heleche Van ISTostrand of Spring Valley,
who was connected also with the Onderdonk, Vanderbilt, Snediker and
Lent families, and they had one son, John A. Tallman.

John A. Tallman, bom May 16, 1815, like his father was a farmer
and lived in the old homestead at Tallman. He sensed several years in

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 547

the ISTew York State Militia, beiug commissioned a Sergeant in the 160th
Eegiment on Oct. 10, 1837. On Dec. 8, 1842, he mamed Caroline
Conklin, daughter of William Conklin and Ann Wilson of Ramseys, N.
J. Caroline Conklin's father was an ensign in the 3rd Regiment of N.
J. Militia during the War of 1812, and her grandfather, William Conk-
lin, was in active service during the Revolutionary War and was com-
missioned an ensign in the Orange County Regiment of N. Y. Militia in
1783. Her maternal grandfather, Albert Wilson, also served as a pri-
vate and sergeant in Bergen county, N. J., and Orange county, N. Y.,
regiments during the same war.

The children of John A. and Caroline (Conklin) Tallman are as
follows:

(1) John Harvey Tallman, carpenter, residing at Nyack, IST. Y., mar-
ried Elizabeth Wilkes.

(2) Abram Tallman, builder, residing at Englewood, N. J., married
Maria Zabriskie in 1870 and has four children, Abram, William, Mar-
garetta and James Albert.

(3) William Tallman, fanner, residing at Tallman, married Chris-
tina Terhune.

(4) Anna M. Tallman, mai-ried Charles E. Post in 1873. They re-
side at Tallman and have one child, Charles Claude.

(5) Carrie L. Tallman, mamed HaiTy R. Sutherland in 1895.

(C) James Cornell Tallman, who with his sister, Mrs. Carrie Suther-
land and Mr. Sutherland occupy the house built by John Tallman in
1797, (which is still in a good state of preservation), and own the land
inherited by their grandfather, Abram I. Tallman. They are engaged in
the business of growing violets, at which they have been very successful.
Mr. Tallman has a large collection of Revolutionary relics, and rare
old books.

MONSEY.

Mousey is the next village east of Tallmans and is about five miles
from Suifern. The land here was bought by Eleazar Lord, President of
the Erie Railroad, in 1840, and a station platform was built and the
place was named Kakiat. It was soon after changed to Mousey, a name
of Indian origin. In 1843 a store was built by Aaron Johnson, and
three years later a post office was established, with Mr. Johnson as post-

548 HISTORV^ OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

master. In 1879 Brewer Fire Engine Company was organized, vnth H.
E. Sherwood the first foreman, and in 1883 a Division of Sons of Tem-
perance was formed in the phioe. In the meantime the viUage had
grown slowly by the addition of stores, hotels, shops of various kinds and
a steam feed mill. Among its principal merchants and business men
have been Levi Sherwood, Fred Van Houten, Glode Kequa, Samuel
Blauchard and Leonard Swartz.

The first chiirch here was the True Reformed Church, organized in
1824, in the center of what was then a farm neighborhood only. It was
caused by the Secjeder movement, when Rev. James D. Demarest and
sixty-eight of the members of the Brick Church of Hempstead left that
denomination owing to the differences in theological opinions which had
lasted many years. The first building stood about one-third of a mile
north of the present village, where they worshipped until 1869, when
they moved into a new building in the village itself. The church was
connected with the one in ISTanuet in the support of a pastor until the
death of Rev. John R. Cooper.

In 1851 a Congregational Sunday school was started in Mousey, and
in 1871 the building formerly used by the Seceders, which had been
moved and rebixilt, came into the possession of the Congi'egational soci-
ety, where regiilar sendees were continued.

The Methodist Church was organized here in 1871 and the house
of woi'ship dedicated in 1873. It is associated with those of Montvale
and Saddle River in the support of a pastor.

The town meetings are now held at this place. At first they were
held at the residence of Theunis Cuyper, near the Brick Church, and
then from 1802 to 1863 at Cassady's Corners. The Town Clerks from
1791 to 1902 were: Gilbert Cooper, J. Conklin, Jr., A. Cassady, G. T.
Cooper, Andrew Onderdonk, G. Sarven, J. Knapp, T. Cooper, James
Taylor, Isaac Finch, T. J. Cooper, Peter Tallman, T. Cooper, J. G. Ser-
vcn, D. D. Ackerman, Thomas Reed, W. II. Gray, W. II. Parsons, Esler
Sherwood, J. H. Abrams, J. L. Crane, E. H. Cooi>er, Warren Blanchai'd,
J. Zabriskie and A. S. Brush.

SPRING VALLEY.

Before the building of the Erie Railroad, in 1841, there was no such
place as Spring Valley. The whole section between Mousey and Nauuet

TOWN OF RAMAPO. 549

consisted of farm houses and fields, but when a station was built to
accommodate the scattered inhabitants living around there in 1842 the
thrifty village sprang into existence and soon became the largest village
in the township of Ramapo. It was first called Pascack, but the name it
now bears was given at the suggestion of Samuel C. Springsteel. The
first store was established by Henry Isennan in the station. The next
was by Jacob T. Eckerson. The post office was started in 1848 and the
postmaster of Monsey, Aaron Johnson, acted until Levi Carman was
appointed. The postmasters following him for a number of years were :
Richard W. Coe, Garret DeBaun, Erastus Van Zant, John A.
Johnson, Andrew Smith, S. H. Burr, E. B. Johnson, Jacob E.
Haring, John D. Blauvelt, George Tallman and David C. Inglis. The
Fairview House, a large hotel, was built in 1869 by Jacob A. Van Riper
on the grounds on which county fairs have since been held. Soon after
this hotel was built a tract of land kno^vn as the Noyes property was laid
out into lots and sold, and although the real estate enteqjrise failed at
first, it resulted later in the outgrowth of the village in that direction.
Another enterprise was conceived by which to establish a city, called
Alturas, between Spring Valley and Monsey. It was the brain work of
a lawyer, Walter H. Shupe, but like all other of his schemes, it failed
of sixccess, and somebody had to lose by it.

In 1861 a fire engine company was organized and called Columbia
Fire Engine Company No. 1. Andrew Smith was Foreman at first antl
John G. Cooper Assistant Foreman. The Spring Valley Academy Asso-
ciation was organized in 1866 and Amity Lodge, No. 192, I. O. 0. F.,
was instituted in 1867. A Good Templar Society flourished awhile and
other societies, business places and professions were added to make up the
growth of the village from the time the railroad came to the financial
panic in 1873, when a season of depression followed. A few years previ-
ous to the close of the century the place awoke to a renewal of activity
and now (in 1902) it is building up rapidly and expanding, with Suffem
its only rival along the Erie Branch. In 1902 the village, after several
ineffectual attempts, was incorporated by a vote of 30 majority in favor.

The first chiirch in the Valley was the Reformed Dutch, a branch
of the Brick Church, Hempstead. The members of the latter society liv-
ing near Spring Valley gTOw tired of going so far, and .so they met in
1850 and organized with fifty-six members and in 1853 built a clunvh.

550 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The pastors have been: Eev. John E. Brock, 1865; Rev. Marshall B.
Smith, 18C9; Rev. Richard DeWitt, 1871; Rev. Peter E. Kipp (Stated
supply), 187G; Rev. Daniel Van Pell, 1877, and Rev. C. E. Crispell,
1879."^

A Baptist society was started in 1867, through the exertions of the
Baptist j>eople of Nannet, the pastoi-s of the latter chnrch preaching at
Spring Valley at regiilar intervals, and then in 1870 the society in
Spring Valley became independent as a separate chnrch and called Rev.
"W. II. Sherman as pastor. He was followed by Rev. F. Gi-eaves in 1873,
who soon resigned his charge and the society struggled on to maintain
its existence \nider charge of Mr. E. J. Hillman imtil 1875, when the
work was given ujd, owing to a heavy mortgage on the property.

The Methodist Church was organized here in 1859, although ser-
vices had been held since 1853 quite regularly. The church building
was completed and dedicated in 1860. At first it was associated ■\\ath
the church at Viola, but in 1861 began a separate existence, except dur-
ing the two years when it was associated with the Middletown Church.

In the year 1886 trouble arose in which the congregation became
divided over the question relating to the charges made against the pas-
tor, Rev. Greorge R. Bristor. One party sustained him all through the
bitter contest and the other was opposed to him. The trouble also
extended into the courts between some of the members on personal mat-
ters growing out of the affair, and for several years these disorders con-
tinued. Mr. Bristor after awhile left the Methodist denomination and
started, with his adherents in Spring Valley, a Congregational Church.
Here he remained for some time, after which he left the ministry alto-
gether and assumed the law practice. Rev. Henry Margetts is pastor of
the CongTcgational Church at present.

An Episcopal Church, known as St. Paul's is also at Spring Valley,
dating' from 1868. The rectore of the parish have been, following
after the pioneer mission work by Rev. S. Hitchcock, of Sparkill: Rev.
R. S. Mansfield, 1868; and Revs. Joseph Stagget and Thomas Stephens.

VIOLA.

Viola is about four miles north of Monsey. It was for a long time
known as Mechanicsville, but as there was another place by the same
name in the State, the post office, when established there in 1882, was

J. W. SHERWOOD.

TOWN OF RAMAPO. SSI

called Viola, and tlms the name of Meclianicsville was lost. The name
Viola was chosen, it was said, after the name given to an infant bom in
the almshouse at about the same time. The Coimty Almshouse is located
a short distance west of this little hamlet, and Forshay's cigar factory is
quite near. A few business places were started in Viola in about 1834.
The first postmaster was John H. Goetchius. Both Baptist and Meth-
odist Churches have been established at Viola and have been carried on
with varied success. One mile east of Viola is Cassady's Corners. At
this place Archibald Cassady dwelt over a hundred years ago and at his
house town meeting's were held for many years.

The "Brick Church" (Eeformed Dutch) is located east of Viola. It
was established in 1774. The first church was built in 1788, and the
present house of worship in 1856. It was called the "Keformed Pro-
testant Dutch Church of West New Hempstead." The early pastors
were: David Marinus, 1774; Peter Leydt, 1789; G. G. Brinkerhoff,
1793; James D. Demarest, 1808; Jefferson Wynkoop, 1824; Peter
Allen, 1837; John E. Brock, 18G2; G. J. Van Xest, 1865; Henry Mat-
tice (a supply), 1869; B. T. Statesir, 1872.

HEMPSTEAD.

This name does not at present denote any particular locality, except
in connection with the two old churches, as there is no village or hamlet
by that name. The English Church, or Presbyterian, of "New Hemp-
stead," was started in about the year 1754, and stands about two miles
east of the Brick Church. Services were at first in Dutch, but later in
English. The first place of worship, near the present structure, was
used until 1827. In the struggle which the members of this church had
to meet expenses in the early years aiul in the dark days of the Revolu-
tion the records were lost, so that no complete history can be given.
Among the early pastoi's were: Eev. John Lindsley, 1785, and Rev.
John Townley, 1788. In 1816 Eev. Samuel Pelton became pastor, and
being possessed of great force and energy, he succeeded in giving the
church an era of prosperity. There were fifty-nine communicants at
the date of his coming and in 1821 one hundred and ten people united
with this church at one time. Those who followed Mr. Pelton were:
Eev. John X. Boyd, 1840; Eev. Abijah Green, 1852; Eev. Samuel Kel-
log, 1853; Eev. Thomas Mack, 1866, and Revs. King, Meeker and
Thorp.

SS2 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

SHERWOODVILLE.

About two miles iiortli of Viola is a place called Sherwoodville or
Furnianville and it is best kno\vii as the location of the Wesley Chapel
M. E. Church. The church here dates back to 1805, and the Sunday
school was organized in 1834, during the i>astorat« of Rev. L. E. Pretty-
man. The first superintendent was Rev. James Sherwood. In 185G a
division occurred in the congTegation over building a new church and
some of the membei-s withdrew and started a church at Viola.

LADENTOWN.

Ladentown is a small place midway between SufEem and Haver-
straw, called so after Michael Laden, who opened a store here in 1816.
As the sale of ardent spirits followed, the whole commimity hereabouts
reaching far into the mountains, became demoralized, and the evil effects
are still seen in the poverty, ignorance, immorality and shiftlessness of
the descendants of the first mountaineers. Missionary work has been
done here with some success by the Episcopalians and Methodists, both
having planted churches and Sunday schools within reach of all.

In connection mth these people of the mountains, let us mention a
word in regard to a class of the inhabitants known as Jackson Whites.
These mountaineers maintain their existence by making baskets and
wooden ware, selling berries in summer and begging in winter. The
Jackson Whites originated when the Indians were yet living in the low-
lands along the Ramapo Mountains. The first race, came by a union
between the Indians and half breeds on one side, and colored laborers
brought from the lower part of the county to work in the Ramajxi fac-
tories on the other side. The coloi'ed people were cither freed slaves or
their children gTOwn up, and many of the names to-day may be traced
as identified with some of the old Holland pioneers of Orangetown,
for the slaves in old times bore the surnames of their masters. Inter-
marriage among these people has caused them to degenerate intel-
lectually if not physically. The now prevailing race of genuine Jackson
Whites is said by the best authority to ha\T come from a union between
the negro-Indian descendants and a number of white laborei-s broueht
from the same quarter of the county.

TOWN OF STONY POINT. SS3

CHAPTER XX.

STONY POINT.

By Hon. Thomas H. Lee.

For a number of years prior to the year 1865 those of the inhabi-
tants of Haverstraw township living in the northerly part had been desir-
ous of being relieved from conditions they considered objectionable.
The "Creek Nation," as those living along the Cedar Pond Creek west
of the present village of Stony Point were called, had many encounters
in words and blows with those of the southerly part of the town over the
division of the offices. Local pride, which is of so much importance
oftentimes in the detemiination of questions of State, county or town,
was the real cause of many if not all of these unseemly brawls. It does
not appear that there was any reason based on management or govern-
ment except perhaps the division of the offices between the northern
and southern ends of the town that caused the separation of the present
township of Stony Point from Haverstraw, the mother of all the towns
in the county except Orangetown, herself the mother of Haverstraw.
The demand for separation was felt, however, and in the year 1865 the
Legislature passed the following act setting off Stony Point from Hav-
erstraw and incorporating it as a distinct municipality:

Chapter 152. — An act to erect a new town from a part, of the town
of Haverstraw in the county of Rockland.

Passed March 20, 1865, three fifths being present. The People of
New York State represented in Senate and Assembly do enact as
follows:

Section I. There shall be erected out of the town of Haverstraw in
the county of Rockland, a new to^vn, to be called the town of Stony
Point.

Section II. The said town shall be bounded as follows: Beginning
at a point on the Hudson river, the southeast corner of the land of Abra-
ham R. Conger, about twenty-one chains southerly from the end of the
steamboat wharf at Grassy Point and running thence south about eighty-
five and one-half degrees west eighteen chains to the Minisceongo Creek

SS4 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ami southeast corner of said A. B. Conger's land; thence along- said Min-
isceongo Creek, southerly, westerly and southerly to the northeast cor-
ner of the hmd known as the Silas D. Gardner fann; thence along said
farm south eighty-eight and one-half degrees west, tifty-four chains to
the public road leading from Xorth llavei-straw to Benson's Corner;
thence along said public road and west line of the said Silas D. Gard-
ner's farm iive chains and eighty-five links to southeast corner of the
land of William C. and James A. Ilousman; thence along the line of said
Housman's land to the south line of William Call's land, the south line
of AVashington Waldrou's land, the south line of Benjamin 1'. Valen-
tino's land and through other lands north sixty-six and three-quarters
degrees west one hundred and thirty -five chains fifty links to an apple
tree on the south side of the public road in front of Ilu-am Phillip's
house; thence along said road on the south side to the jimction of the
Monroe and Haverstraw Turnpike; thence along the south side of said
turnpike westerly to the division line between Great ilountain Lots three
and four; thence following said division line north forty-five degrees west
to the division line between the counties of Orange and Rockland; thence
along said Orange county line northeasterly to the Hudson ri\er;
thence along the west shore of said Hudson river southerly to the place
of beginning.

Section III. The first annual town meeting in said town of Stony
Point hereby erected shall be held at the store of Robert Kerr, in said
town, on the second Tuesday of April, in the year eighteen hundred and
sixty-five and in each year thereafter on the third Tuesday of February,
and Fi-ederick Tomkins, Abraham S. Vanderbilt and George Knapp are
hereby appointed to preside at such meeting, appoint a clerk, open the
polls and exercise the same power as Justice of the Peace when presid-
ing at town meeting's.

Section IV. Henry if. Peck, Edwin Marks, Henry G. Knapp, Wil-
liam Benson, Abram Weyant and Alexander Waldron be and are hereby
appointed to apportion the town debt on each town according to the
valuation of the real estate on the last assessment roll of the town of
Haverstraw, and the apportionment shall be made between the first
day of May and the first day of July, eighteen hundred and sixty-five.

Section V. This act shall take effect immediately.

A ]ieculiar fact is discovered on examination of the boimdaries of
the new towm. For a considerable distance the southerly boundary

TOWN OF STONY POINT. SSS

follows the southerly side of the "Haverstraw and Monroe Turnpike."
This turnpike is now known as the "Gate Hill" road. According to
the description, the whole of this great boundary highway was left in
the new town, and hence Haverstraw has always escaped its expensive
maintenance, although used principally hy her inhabitants and but little
by the residents in the Town of Stony ^^oint. The highway is now a
"county road," and the objectionable feature to the Stony Point taxpayer
is not now present, but it has been for many years the cause of many
unkind comments on the good faith actuating the enactment. The only
reason for it that appeals to one that does not know the real motive is
that the boundary line was thus fixed as a concession to the opposition
from the remainder of Haverstraw.

After the town meeting provided for in the enabling act, Stony Point,
taking her name from the promontory on which the famous assault of
Mad Anthony Wayne of the Revolution occurred, entered upon a sep-
arate existence and separate history. The area of the town is 17,792
acres, very much the larger part of which is mountainous, rocky and
untillable. The general shape of the town is that of an equilateral tri-
angle, the Hudson river forming the easterly side. The northern por-
tion of the town is practically made up of the frowning Dunderberg
Mountain and Bear Hill, on the border of Orange county, with the
Bock-l)erg and Kalelx-rg extending to the southwest in the direction
of the Ramapo mountains. The whole surface of the town is rough,
hilly and rocky, and uninviting to the tiller of the soil. A wide expans<i
of woodland extends over the whole town from the distance of a mile
west of the Hudson, back to the north and northwest to the limits of
Orange county. The hills and mountains are covered with a growth of
chestnut, oak and hickorj', which is cut in about every twenty-five years
for fuel on the brick-yards and the marketing of which Ls a considerable
industry in itself. The arable portion of the surface of the town com-
prises a verv narrow strip along the river from Jones's Point sf>uth, which
strip widens out and extends further west as the southern limits of the
town are approached. The soil is a sandy or gravelly loam. The only
water course within the tovnx is the small mountain stream flowing from
Cedar Pond in the southernmost borders of Orange county easterly to
the Hudson. This was originally called Florus Falls, deriving its name
from that of Florus Crom, one of the owners of the Crom or Krom pat-

SS6 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ent. It is noAV called Flonis Falls Creek and more frequently Cedar
Pond creek.

The history, the traditional history even of the inhabitants prior
to the early days of the nineteenth century is meagre in the extreme. A
few families had left Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey, and
refusing to be enticed by the broad valleys and fertile plains further west
had settled on the inhospitable west shores of the Hudson. The Alli-
son family, the Crom family, the Blaiivelt family, the latter from New
Jersey, the Cuyper (Cooper) family, the Springsteens, the Roses, the
Keeslers, the Brewsters — these were some of the principal families prior
to the year 1800. Social life was limited in the extreme. The long
winter months were occasionally enlivened by a trip over the mountains
to Ramapo and Orange county, and in summer market sloops made regu-
lar landings for pa.ssengers to and from New York, New Amsterdam,
the even then pretentioiis metropolis of the new world, but with means
of transportation so meagTe, the people lived very much within
tlicmselves and seemingly liad little to do Avith the outside world
The liome life of the inhabitants was not the happy, joyous and comfort-
able existence of later days, but was made up of drudgery, sacrifice and
hard work. The settlements were few and far between and the popula-
tion so scattered that the demand for churches and schoolhouses was
correspondingly limited. Not until the nineteenth century was well
along was a church built in the town. And few localities in the whole
State were worse off for educational advantages and facilities.

EAELY LAND TITLES.

In the year 1694 Governor of the Province of New York Tliomas
Dongan in the name of the Crown of England granted to Capt. John
Evans a vast tract of land on the west shore of the Hudson. According
to the description it extended "from the land called Haverstraw," at the
south bounds of the Highlands (or Stony Point peninsula) north to and
beyond the present southern boundary of Ulster county, and from the
Hudson river to the Delaware river. The southern boundary was the
"north west" line, the most important landmark in the town to-day, as
the east and west boiindaries of all of the great mountain lots in the
Cheesecock patent except No. 1, paralleled this line, and very many of
the division lines between the owners of the present day are dependent
upon it. This line extended from a point just south of the Stony Point

THOMAS II. LEE.

TOWN OF STONY POINT. 557

peninsula due northwest to the Dehiware river. It appears as the north-
ern boundary line of the Garrison fann now o\viied by B. J. Allison and
E. O. Rose and crosses the main road between Stony Point and Tom-
kins Cove just north of Connell's corner at a point where a limestone
cliti' stands on the east side of the road. The patent granted to Evans
was revoked by act of the Provincial Legislature May 12, 1C99, and
the land reverting to the crowii was afterwards patented in smaller tracts
to various parties. From a point on the northwest line another line was
run due northeast to the Hudson river, so that the tract within this north-
east line, the northwest line and the shores of the Hudson river Avould
measure 1,000 acres. This northeast Hue is the northwest boundary of
all the various smaller tracts fronting on the river from Jones' Point
south to Tomkins Cove, and is for that reason a very important landmark
to the land title searcher in that vicinity. Its exact location has been
the source of much litigation, anore or less bitter, as all line fence litiga-
tions are, and more or less unprofitable to the litigants. In the very first
volume of the New York Court of Appeals Reports one phase of one of
the most bitter of these controversies is decided. Wood vs. Weiant, 1
N. Y., Reports, page77. This tract of 1,000 acres was granted to Rich-
ard Bradley and William Jamison May 17, 1719. Within its bounds
are included nearly all the present village of Tomkins Cove and all the
residence lots and tracts north to and including Jones Point. Bradley
was a man of influence and held a high position in the administrative
circles of the Province, being Attorney-General under appointment
made in 1723, and again in 1728. "Kissing went by favor" under the
ancient regime as since, and in other grants to Bradley is this exemplified
as well as in grants made to his four children during his life time. July
30, 1743, a grant of 106 acres, nearly triangular in shape, was made to
Bradley, immediately south of Stony Point and southwest of the north-
west line. This 106-acre tract afterwards was sold to James Lamb, who
by the purchase of a portion of the Crom patent further south thus
became the o\vner at one time of all the lands between Florus Falls and
the northwest line adjoining the river, including the present Stony Point
village. By the same grant Bradley obtained a part of the 800-acre Bear
Hill tract in the extreme northeast corner of the town and extending into
Orange county. In 1749, Oct. 30, a very extensive grant of four dif-
ferent tracts was made to George, Sarah, Catharine, Elizabeth and Mary
Bradley, son and four daughters of Richard Bradley. Of these four

558 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

tracts the first of 4,290 acres lies for the most part in Orange county;
the second of 370 acres lies near Queensboro, in the uorthwesteni part
of the town and is practically in the same condition as at that day, viz. :
wild wood land. This tract passed by deed to James Johnson, who con-
veyed it, May 31, 1755, to Theodorus Snedeker. Snedeker was a Tory
during the Revolution, and his property being attainted of treason was
confiscated and sold by the State after cessation of hostilities to Samuel
Brewster, May 15, 1790. The third tract of 840 acres lies immediately
northeast of the northwest line and west of the northeast line of the
Bradley and Jamison patent. This tract also came into the hands of
Theodorus Snedeker, May 31, 1755, who conveyed it five years later to
John and George Shaw of New York city, who in turn conveyed it to
Samuel Brewster, November 8, 1786. The Mott farm northwest of
Tomkins Cove village is a part of this tract, a portion of the whole of
which remained in the Brewster family for a number of years or until
1842, when it was sold to Calvin Tomkins. It is, however, better
known to conveyancers as the "Shaw tract." The fourth and last tract
granted to Bradley's children consisted of five hundred acres on the
north side of the Dunderberg Mountain, near the settlement of Doodle-
town. The manifest eagerness to acquire these extensive stretches of
mountain land is perhaps explainable in that the Dunderberg Moun-
tain and the other mountains of the Hudson contained iron, it was
thought of valuable quality and in paying quantities. But with the
exception of the Forest of Dean Mine across the border in Orange
county and the small workings about Cedar Pond in the western part of
the town, the hopes were never realized.

That portion of Stony Point south of the northwest line is made up
of parts of three patents. The comparatively small tract lying east of
and between the Salt Creek or Minisceongo Creek and the Hudson, the
extreme north part of the DeHarte patent was granted to Jacob\is De-
Harte in the year 1685 by Lieut-Governor of the Province Dongan. Bal-
thazer DeHarte, a brother of Jacobus, had in the year 1666 purchased
the whole tract from the Indians and had received as well a confirmatory
grant of the same from Philip Carteret, Governor of the Province of
ISTew Cesarea, or New Jersey, the line between the then Provinces of
New York and New Jersey not being then established, and the whole
of the present town of Haverstraw and part of Stony Point being con-
sidered a part of New Jersey. Later, however, and after the death of

TOWN OF STONY POINT. 559

Balthazar Dellartc, subseqiicut to the year 1672, the error was dis-
covered and Jacobus Dellarte, to whom had been devised by will the
whole of the patent by his brother, received confirmation of the same
by the jiatent above mentioned. The greater portion of this patent is
in Ilaverstraw and came into the possession of Capt. Joseph Allison
prior to the Revolution, from whom it derived its name of the Allison
fann. Capt. Allison conveyed the extreme northerly portion prior to
his death to the children of his first wife. The whole of Grassy Point
lies in this patent and is a part of the Allison farm.

The Crom Patent derived its name from a grant made by Governor
Dongan December 13, 1685, to Floras William Crom. It comprised
some 690 acres of salt meadow and upland extending from the Minis-
ceongo or Salt Creek westerly to the "foot of the mountain," and from
the 106-acre tract granted to Bradley above refeiTcd to on the north,
south to the Minnies Falls, aa the creek running through the present vil-
lage of Garners'ille was originally named. The original grant was made
in undivided shares to those then in actual possession. The portion of
the original patent in the town of Stony Point is made up of the Crom
farm, now owned by the Lilburn estate, the McMahon and part of the
present Washburn farms, nearly all of the present village of Stony
Point and the greater portion of the Tomkins property.

The remainder of the town and the greater portion in area is a part
of the great Cheesecocks Patent. In 1702 Dr. John Bridges, who was
then Attorney-General of the Province of ISTew York, purchased in com-
pany with six others from the Indians a tract of land called Cheesecocks,
Ijang in the then Orange coimty. This was bounded north by the
Evans Patent (the northwest line), west by the "High hills of the High-
lands," south by Honan's or Kakiat Patent and east by the lands of
Haverstraw and Hudson river. Dr. Bridges dying soon after the date
of this conveyance, the title was confirmed in his wife and the original
associates in ownership by royal patent of Anne, Queen of England,
March 15th, 1707. In 1738 Charles Clinton surveyed the whole pat-
ent and sub-divided it into smaller lots for the purposes of partitioning
it among the o\vners. The eastern portion of the patent, comprising the
tillable land, he divided into seventeen lots in two tiers, whose north and
south boimdaries were perpendicular to the agreed western line of the
Crom patent. The remainder, comprising the mountain land, he divided
into Great Mountain Lots, oblong in general shape and whose greatest

560 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

dimensions were lines practically parallel to the northwest line. These
Great Monntain Lots extended far into Orange county. The southerly
portions of Great Mountain Lots Nos. 1, 2 and 3, and Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 and a portion of Lot Xo. 11 of the smaller
suhdivisions are in Stony Point. The map made by Clinton of this s\ir-
vey is in the Secretary of State's office in Albany, and is of the greatest
value as a record of his exact and painstaking eifort. Lot Xo. 3 in part
is made up of the present residence site of Watson Tomkins and the
Waldron place in Stony Point Village. Lot No. 4 includes all of Stony
Point village west of the King's Ferry road (except Tomkins Heights).
On Lot Xo. 7 is the Treason Hill Llouse, owned by the Lilburu estate.
The smaller lots comprise the only fertile portion of the patent. The
Great ]\roimtain Lots remain practically as Clinton left them, wild,
UKiuntainous and rugged in surface, and covered with timber, except
where denuded by the choppers.

HIGHWAYS.

The effect of highways on civilization, especially of a new portion of
country', is well exemplified in the history of the settlement of Stony
Point. As we have already seen, the lands within the township that can
properly be termed fertile and arable are very limited in extent and are
almost entirely located in a sti'ip along the river shore, widening out
and extending further back to the westward as the approach is made to
the town of Haverstraw. The first well defined road or highway was
the King's Highway, extending from Tappan northerly to "Call's" Dock
just north of the Stony Point peninsula where was the Kjng's Ferry to
Verplancks. This must have been in early days a frequently traveled
road, as it was the most convenient of access and the shortest route from
the Province of New Jersey to the settlements along the Hudson river
and what is now northern Westchester and Putnam counties. This old
King's Highway exists so far as its location is concerned as it did in the
eighteenth century, but Call's Dock and the fen-y have long since passed
out of existence, the former having been finally destroyed, although a
portion of a public highway by the construction of the West Shore rail-
road and the latter having been long since discontinued for want of
patronage. For the smelting of the iron procured from the mines in the
western part of the town and its forging into marketable shape along
the Cedar Pond Brook, where the water could be impounded and utilized

TOWN OF STONY POINT. S61

for power, small establishments were early built. Samuel Brewster ran
one or more of these, and for the purpose of enabling the product to be
transported the present main highway known variously in the early days
as the "road leading from Cedar Pond to Waldron's landing," "the road
leading from Brewster's furnace to the Hudson river," "the road leading
easterly to the Hudson river from Goetschins' Mill," was constructed.
These two highways — the one running north and south, the other east
and west, and intersecting at the present village of Stony Point — deter-
mined the line of settlement of the town. Later an important addition
or change was made by the extension of the highway along the river
shore north of Tomkins Cove. Up to this time the highway ran through
the Mott Place, so called, there joined the road coming over the "Buck-
berg" mountain from the south and continued on over the Dunderberg
Mountain to DoodletoAvn, Queensboro and the north, with access to the
present Tones Point by a road from the Mott Place, along Eqiiautic or
Poughs Creek, to the river near Albertson's.

Another important change was made in the north and south road by
its extension from the entrance to the "purgatory road," near the water-
ing trough north of Watson Tomkins residence, in a northerly direction
past the present Nickerson residence and joining the highway again
at Connell's Corners.

These highways and others connecting them answered the puqiose
of the people for local communication very well, but for long years the
methods and means of communicating with the outside world were lim-
ited in the extreme. By way of the river market sloops in the early days
and after the in\'ention of the steam engine steamboats afforded access
north and south during the seasons of navigation. On the construction
of the Hudson River R. R., followed later by the Erie to Suffern and
Piennont, residents of the new town of Stony Point wei-e not quite so
isolated and shut out from the outside world. These conditions, how-
ever, continued and were suffered uncomplainingly until the year 1873,
when the Xew Jersey and Xew York Railroad Company was organized,
and shortly after constructed through the southern part of the county
towards its ostensible terminus at Grassy Point. The plans of the com-
pany met with opposition, however, and for a number of years the Stony
Point station of the road was in a field south of the "Low Land Hill"
ravine. Afterwards that portion of the railroad lying in Stony Point

562 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

and the station itself was abandoned and Haverstraw, by an extension
from Garnerville, became the terminus of the road.

Many efforts to construct a railroad along the west side of the Hud-
son river had been made prior to the year 1880. Surveys of the New
York and Chicago Railroad and the Jei"sey City and Albany Railroad
are on file in New City. The latt«r road was indeed constructed to
Haverstraw. Stony Point, however, was still suffering from that heart
sickness cai;sed by hopes long deferred until 1882, when after the usual
thimble-rigging and swindling incident to railroad constniction, the On-
tario and Western railroad was built through the county and soon after-
wards sold to the Kew York, West Shore and Buiialo Railroad Company.
After the usual bankruptcy proceedings and foreclosure, this latter
road passed into the hands of the Vanderbilts by lease, and is now the
West Shore Division of the New York Central. Stony Point was not
favored by the railroad company at first as a stopping i">laco for trains
and for a considerable time but few trains stopped and then only at a
shanty or shelter, where tickets coiild be obtained from a volunteer agent
in the person of Alexander Rose, who was serving without pay. Later
the handsome brick station biiilding was built, largely through the efforts
of Mr. Watson Tomkins and the station is now one of the best paying
of the smaller ones on the line of the road.

VILLAGES.

There are no incorporated villages in the to^\^l. There are, how-
ever, several centers of population, called variously villages, "comers"
or hamlets.

Stony Point is the largest of these and is situated near the southern
boundary of the town. Perhaps the oldest house in the village is that
owned by B. J. Allison and occupied by Mr. Alexander Dennistou,
known as the Alexander Waldron place. The construction of this house
antedates the Revolution.

Stony Point village is located on a plateau of perhaps one hundred
feet elevation above tide-water and is an ideal village site. Li its nomen-
clature it has been singularly blessed with numerous names and designa-
tions, both local and colloquial. Theodore Smith biiilt the first store on
the corner of the present Main street and King's Ferry road or King's
Highway. Soon after William Knight removed from Orange county
and ran the store and built a house nearby on land purchased from Smith

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TOWN OF STONY POINT. 563

and tlie name of the village, or collection of houses, became Knight's
Corners. Mr. Knight was appointed in 1847 the first Postmaster of the
office known as ISTorth Haverstraw. This was afterwards changed in 1865
to Florns Falls, and still later, in 1870, became Stony Point. About
the year 1850 Theodore Smith caused his farm to be sur\'eyed in village
lots and blocks and called the village Brewsterville, after his wife's fam-
ily name. The map of this survey is now on file in the County Clerk's
otfice by this name. Since Mr. Knight's first appointment the Post-
masters in order have been as follows : William Govan, William Knight,
William Govan, William Brewster, Willjam Govan, William Knight, E.
O. Kose, Mrs. M. A. Penny, R. B. Stalter, Jacob B. Hastings, Abram
Treadway and Alonzo Dykens.

TOMKINS COVE.

Prior to the spring of 1838, Daniel Tomkins, then of Newark, N. J.,
prospecting for a limestone available for burning along the Hudson
river, and hence convenient for shipping, located the limestone deposit
extending across the river north of Verplanck's Point and thrusting itself
up in immense cliffs on the west shore north of Stony Point promontoiy.
Looking far into the future Avith that keen insight so often possessed by
successful pioneers, Mr. Tomkins purchased twenty acres of this lime-
stone land and early in the spring of 1838 embarked on the sloop Con-
trivance with men and stores for what was destined to be his new home,
and immediately on aiTival laid the foimdations of the immense business
thereafter can-ied on in the manufacture of lime. The name of the fimi
was at first Tomkins, Hadden & Company. Calvin Tomkins, an older
brother of Daniel, later became associated with him and the firm was
Calvin Tomkins & Company. Still later the Tomkins Cove Lime
Comjjanj- was formed as a coi-poration and at the present time it is the
Tomkins Cove Stone Company that has succeeded to the rich inher-
itance of enterprise and thrift of the pioneers of 1838. The business
at first was confined to the manufactvire of lime, principally for agricul
tural purposes, and many thousands of acres of land in the south were
enriched and made fertile from the rocks of Eockland county. It was
no uncommon sight in the early days to see six, ten or more three-masted
schoonei-s and other vessels lying in the ofling, awaiting the opportunity
of loading. The owners early added and conducted for many yeare the
largo store now conducted near the railroad station by Mr. A. E. Rose.

564 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

The shipyard and marine railway now conducted by lioderniond T>rns.
were also built by the Tomkins Brothers. To the settlement about the
quarry, now a beautiful little village, sho\\'ing in ever}' house the thrift
and pride that characterize the citizens, the name of Tomkins Cove nat-
urally \yas given. It became a post office March 15, 1860, with Warren
Scaring as First Postmaster. He was succeeded by his son, Walter T.
Searing in 1872, who ser^'ed fourteen years. Since that time the incum-
bents have been Henry Lent, Theodore Lavender and the present effi-
cient Postmaster, James J. Grady.

GEASSY POIJv^T.

The northern j^ortion of the Allison farm, or, more strictly speaking,
that portion of the Allison farm north of the narrow passsigc, was con-
veyed as we have seen, prior to his death, by Capt. Joseph Allison, to his
three sons, John, William and Joseph. This tract of upwards of one
hundred acres at that time was a high bluff or plateau corresponding m
general level to that of Main street, Haverstraw, to-day. It was fringed
and dotted with large chestnut and oak trees, and its general gTeen
and fertile appearance, no doubt, as well as in contra distinction to
Stony Point, just north, was the origin of the name. Grassy Point, as
now applied to that section and to the collection of houses bordering both
sides of the streets leading to the steamboat dock. But how different its
appearance. The brick industry — an industry devoted to the manufac-
tiu"e of constmctive material, is as well an industry which is destructive
of scenic and topographic beauty. The once handsome plateau extend-
ing as a tongue of land, crowned with trees and the handsome summer
residences of "city folk," has been sacrificed in the brief histoiT of two
generations to the demands of the brick trade and is now preempted
entirely by brick yards, not in themselves handsome ai'chitecturally
or stnicturally, even when running.

The first post office was established at Grassy Point July 30, 1834,
became North Haverstraw Augaist 21, 1834, and again Grassy Point
September 10, 1836. James De LaMontanya was the first Postmaster
and was succeeded in 1838 by Thomas Murphy, who held office imtil
1844, when Edward Strang succeeded him. Oliver C. Gerow was
appointed Postmaster in 1845 and soon after, on September 5, 1845,
the office was discontinued. On April 14, 1871, the office was re-estab-
lished, with Alfred M. Wiles as Postmaster, who ser\-ed until the year

TOWN OF STONY POINT. 565

1884, when he was succeeded by John O'Keefe, 1884-1888. Those who
have hekl the office since are: William Ossman, 1888-1892; Fred Oss-
man, 1892-1896, and the present incumbent, William Ossraan since.
The growth of the hamlet at one time was rapid. The deep water at the
dock, which was built by Dr. Proudfoot in 1830, enabled river steamers
to land at all stages of the tide and the place acquired considerable prom-
inence as a shipping point. This is a glory that is past, however, although
a by no means small shipping traffic is still c^n-ied on by means of the
Emeline on the Ilaverstraw-Xewburgh route and the Chrystenah on
the Peekskill-Xew York route. The handsome residences of a genera-
tion ago ha^'o, however, departed.

JONES POINT.

Joshua A. Cholwill, a descendant of one of the original grantees of
the Cheesecocks patent, settled at the extreme end of the Dunderbcrg
Mountain on land purchased from one Caleb Seaman in 1791. In pro-
cess of time others came and the settlement l>egan to take upon itself
importance. Ferry lines were established to Peekskill and for many
yeai-s did a thriving business, the water being too shoal to allow the
larger boats on the river to land at that place. A dock was built. Hotels
followed, the principal ones being kept by Lewis Constant and Samuel
Burd or Bard. The settlement became a general depot for the provis-
ioning of the sailing vessels plying on the river. The place took its name
originally from ilr. Cholwill and became Cholwills or Coldwells, cor-
rupted finally into Caldwell's Landing. Early in the nineteenth century,
certainly before 1818, the narrow strip of available level land surface
along the river front was surveyed and cut xip into streets and village lots,
to which the name of Gibraltar was given. Later and about the time of
the inception of the enterprise of recovering the treasure of Captain
I^idd, alleged to be sunk in the river, near the bend in the momitain,
these lots were offered for sale at auction on the Merchants' Exchange
in New York city. The failure of the Kidd Salvage Company, the only
evidence of whose operations is the remains of the coffer dam still visible
on the river's edge, had a bad effect, however on the plan and Giliraltar
(lid not attract many real estate investors. The original map, said to
have been filed in the Clerk's office of the town of Haverstraw. cannot
now l>e found. Portions of it, however, ap]>ear with the record of some
of the old deeds in the Countv Clerk's office. The name Is now Ijut a

566 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

memory. Caldwell's Landing remained on the map down to recent
years. In 1836 Joslma T. Jones of Westchester county, purchasing one
luindred acres of tlie original Bradley and Jamison patent, and a hotel
and dock, became one of the leading citizens, and in 1885, when James
A. DeGroat became the first Postmaster at the Landing, Caldwells gave
way to the less euphonious Jones Point. Mr. Jones was a member of the
wealthy I^ew York and Long Island family of that name — the i:)resent
representatives being Dr. 0. L. Jones and Mrs. Mary E. Jones, and the
greater part of the 100-acre purchase, together with the greater part of
the Dunderberg Mountain, has remained in and is now owned by them.
The advent of I'ailroads in Westchester county early changed the
tide of prosperity and Jones Point is now but a hamlet, whose inhabitants
are employed in the sand and gravel business of Mr. DcGroat or the
Asphalt Kefining Works. Mr. James A. DeGroat served as Postmaster
until succeeded by William H. Draudt, the present Postmaster.

DOODLETOWK

Doodleto^vn, deriving its name, according to legend fi'om the fact
that some jjerson or persons, some say Wayne's men on their way to
Stony Point, others the American Militia at the Battles of Forts Clinton
and Montgomery, sang Yankee Doodle, is that portion of Stony Point
between Dunderberg Mountain and Bear Hill and south of Saulsbury's,
or lona Island. It is very sparsely populated. In the rage for changing
names that has at one time or another seemingly affected all portions
of the town alike, this region has now come to be called Mountvillc. It
has for years remained in a state of blissful quietness, but since the
establishment of the naval magazine and depot on lona Island, has begun
to assert itself as alive at least. Highland Lake or Hessian Lake or Lake
Sinnipink and the site of Fort Clinton lie immediately noi-th of Doodle-
to^vn and give the locality a certain historic interest, but it cannot be
said to have much of a j^reseut or future interest or prospect.

lONA ISLAND.

The original name of lona Island was Weyant's Island, from the
name of its owner, George Weyant. It came into the possession of John
Bevcridge, of Xewburgh, in 1847, and afterwards was owned by Dr. C.
W. Grant, Beveridge's son-in-law, who carried on an extensive nursery
and viiuyard. The lona grape was first propagated here, and gave the

TOWN OF STONY POINT. 567

name to the island. In 1868 Dr. Grant failed in business and the island
soon after came into the ownership of DeGraff, who later turned it into
a picnic or excursion resort. Its general character and use remained
such until the year 1900, when it was sold by the representatives of
ilessrs. Mace and Gwyer, the then owners, to the United States govern-
ment as a site for a naval magazine and store house. Strictly speaking
only that portion of the island lying east of the West Shore Railroad was
sold to the Federal Government. This comprises nearly all of the 100
acres of upland. The purchase price was some $160,000. Immediately
on taking possession the Naval Department formulated extensive build-
ing plans and the whole cleared portion of the island is now, after two
years of extensive constructive work, taken iip with buildings, powder
houses and railroad tracks. The present officer in charge is Chief Gun-
ner F. W. Whitney. Here ammunition in the form of shells and pow-
der are assembled and transported to the various vessels of Uncle Sam's
new navy. It is an admirable site for the pui-pose and was selected from
among many considered a^'ailable, as it possesses the merits of being
inland and thus safe from attack by an enemy, and yet accessible by
is^ater and by a trunk line railroad as well, by which shipments can be
made to vessels of the navy wherever located along our coasts, and
received from manufactories anywhere in the country. It was thought
at the inception of the project to j^ossess some element of danger to the
immediately suiTounding neighborhood, but thus far these fears have
happily not been realized. The station is officially a part of the Brook-
lyn Navy Yard. The post office was established in the year 1900.

"ANTIOCH."

Another small hamlet deserves mention. Early in the nineteenth
century a considerable settlement grew up about the grist and saw mill
located about a mile west of the present village of Stony Point. Here
had been one of the forges of early days, so located undoubtedly to take
advantage of the water power of the creek as it cut its way through the
ravine. It was known for a time as Beebes Mill, from the o^vner,
TIcnrv Beebe, who, in 1831, purchased the property from Samson Marks
and sold it in 1854 to Benjamin Goodspeod. The location of the Meth-
odist Church nearby also had much to do with the growth of the ham-
let, which at one time possessed in addition to the mill a blacksmith and
wheelwright shop, shoe shop and a general store. This place was called

568 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

at one time "Antioch." The trend of population, however, was towards
the river and with the abandonment of the grist mill, which is now the
site of the Stony Point station of the Haverstraw Water Supply Com-
pany, the other places of business also ceased and "Antioch" in Stony
Point took its place among other numerous unnamed hamlets oi the
county and St-ate.

INDUSTKIES.

Peter Ilassenelevcr, a German engineer, miner and proprietor, about
the middle of the 18th century visited America and explored the whole
of the colonies of Xew York and New Jersey. He located many water
powers and mill sites in different parts of the colonies. Among the iron
mines opened by him was one to which his name was given, located on
Great Mountain Lot Xo. 2 of the Cheesecock patent. This mine was op-
erated for a number of years in connection with the Cedar Pond fur-
nace, a furnace on Cedar Pond Brook, the exact location of which is
now uncertain. The mine subseqiiently came into possession of Captain
Samuel Brewster, and from it was taken the iron for one of the chains
thrown across the Hudson river at various places during the Revolution.
The mine passed on the death of Samuel Brewster to his son James, who
conducted it until the time of his death, when it came by purchase into
the hands of one Bradley, who shortly after failed. It was then sold to
Wm. Knight, who in turn transfen-ed it in 1844 to a company called the
Havei-straw Iron Mining Company. This company expended a consid-
erable sum in development work and new building, but other iron de-
posits were less refractory, more valuable and available and the company
soon failed. The Imildings were torn down and the property then passed
to Colfax & Co. The mine lot in the mountains near Cedar Pond and
the furnace lot in the "lowlands" near Stony Point village have long
ceased to have any specTilative value as iron mining or iron manufactur-
ing properties. The present owner lives in Boston and it is said that
although solo owner for twenty-five years has never looked at his hold-
ings. Thus passed away apparently all hopes of making Stony Point an
iron manufacturing center. Some few years ago Thomas A. Edison, the
inventor, prospected the western portion of the town and purchased a
considerable area of the low grade iron ore land about Cedar Pond, but
no development has ever been carried on as a result of the purchase.. The
first brickmaking in the town was at Jones Point, then Cholwills, as early

TOWN OF STONY POINT. 569

as 1830, when we read that a partnership agreement between Jno. Bur-
gess, Jr., and Elizabeth Xorton was entered into for the manufacture of
brick at that place.

The first brick yard on the present Tomkins property was erected
in the spring of 1843 by Samuel Brewster for his tenant, Zalnion Xick-
«;rson. This yard was located about where the southerly half of Iveillcy
& Clark's plant now stands. Bradley Keesler began manufacturing
brick as another tenant of Samuel Brewster, occupying the yard where
the Acme Brick Company is now located in 1845. These yards were
successful and were followed by one erected for and operated by Wm. II.
Knapp in 1851, and located immediately north of the Xickei-son plant.
The same year saw David ilackcy beginning a yard on his recently
acquired lands north of the Keesler yard, and George Knapp and .Tames
Conklin acquired the Xickcrson plant. In 1855 another yard was erected
about on the site of the present Reiley & Rose plant.

In 1856 Daniel Tomkins, then about to retire from the Tomkins
Cove Lime Company, pm'chased the Brewster property at Stony Point
and enlarging the capacity of the above mentioned yards, began the svic-
cessful manufacture of brick on the larger scale which has continued
to the present day. He early associated with himself his sons, Watson
and Frederic, imder the name of D. Tomkins & Sons. Although the
founder of the firm and one of the sons — Frederic — are dead, the firm
still exists as landlord of the jiroperty. The tenants are the firms of
Eeilley & Clark, with a capacity of 15,000,000 per anniim, employing
ninety men; Reiley & Rose, with a capacity of 10,000,000 and employ-
ing se\'enty-five men, and the Acme Brick Company, with a capacity of
8,000,000 aud employing sixty men. Xo one thing has done so much
for Stony Point Village as has the Tomkins brick yard interests. Pride
and care in the manufacture qiiickly had its reward in the excellent rep-
utation always enjoyed in the New York, iSTewark and Eastern markets
by Tondvins and Stony Point brick — a reputation well deserved and
which has continued to the present day

At GJrassy Point there are several brick plants — Fowler, WashbTirn
& Co., Patrick Brophy, Morrissey & Co. and Kate Dnnnigan.

We have already referred to the lime stone cnishing plant at Tond-;ins
Cove. At Round Island, innnediately south of lona Island, Donovan &
Co. have fur a nnnd)er of veal's conducted a similar luit nut as extensive

S70 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

an industry. The rock, however, is much different, it being a gneiss or
granite.

After the exhaustion of the clay for brick-making purposes at Jones
Point an immense hodj of sand and gravel still remained. James A. De-
Groat has since the year 1880 conducted a large sand and gravel busi-
ness, availing himself of this deposit for his supply of material. He em-
ploys about fifty men.

At Jones Point there is a considerable industry in the refining of
crude asphalt, carried on by the Columbia Construction Company and
the Trinidad Construction Company. The crude product is freighted
from Trinidad in the AVest Indies directly to the dock of the companies,
where the impurities are removed and the refined product placed in bar-
rels for the New York and other markets. Some 30 or 35 employes are
on the payroll

In I'JOO the Rockland Cement Company was organized and a plant
for the manufacture of Portland cement installed at Jones Point, but for
some reason or other, probably trade competition, the venture was not a
success — at least the factory building has remained idle for the past
two years.

CHURCHES.
STONY POINT PRESBYTERIAN.

As early as the year 1820 a Presbyterian society was fonncd in and
about North Ilaverstraw. It was ministered to frequently but irregular-
ly by the pastors in turn of the First Church of Haverstraw, then located
on "Calico Hill," Ganicrville: Revs. Samuel Pelton, James Hildrcth,
Livingston Willard and James H. Trowbridge. In 1843 a lot of laud
for a church was given by Mr. Richard Brewster and a building was
erected thereon by the Ilaverstraw Presbyterian Church people. The
society not being sufficiently strong in nvimbers to conduct the affair
themselves, it was made a branch of the Haverstraw Chiirch, and ser-
vices were held every other Sabbatli under the Presbytery of New York.

In 1855 an independent organization was formed and soon after
Rev. Abijah Green was called as pastor. For two years this congrega-
tion worshipped over the store of R. B. J\larks. In 1857 the church
building was rented from the Haverstraw organization and in 18(51 it
was purchased. In 1869 the building was enlarged to its present size
and improved. The congregation now have in contemplation the erec-

TOWN OF STONY POINT. 571

tion of a new building, the old one having been for a number of years
ontgrowu and much in need of repairs to properly fit it as a modern jilaoe
of worship. For this purpose some $9,000 has already been subscribed.
The membership of the congregation is 113, of the Sunday school,
including "home" department, 178, with 16 officers and teachers. The
pastors who have ministered here since Rev. Green are in order: Revs.
David Eagan, 1856-1858; Frederick King, 1858-1866; James J. Mac-
Mahon, 1866-1876; R. B. Mattice, 1879-1880; Thomas C. Straus, 1881-
1884; John S. Gilmor, 1885-1890; A. W. Hallock, 1890-1893, and the
present encumbent, Rev. Louis O. Rotenbach, since 1894. The present
ruling eldei-s are Richard B. Marks, B. J. Allison, xibram Rose and
Ezekiel O. Rose.

TOMKINS COVE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH.

The organization by this name dates from about the year 1840. For
some two years prior to this time preaching sei'\'ices had been held once
a month conducted by the Rev. Robert "Woodruif, a circiiit preacher, in
the house of a Mrs. Lascelles, but no permanent organization had been
effected. In March, 1840, the New York Conference of the M. P.
Church sent the Rev. T. K. Witsel to Tomkins Cove as pastor, and under
his ministrations a great religious revival occuri'ed resulting in the final
and permanent organization as it has continued to the present. The con-
gregation at first worshipped in a building owned by the lime company,
but in 1854 Calvin Tomkins (Father Tomkins, as he is affectionately
called in remembrance by the parishioners) built and presented a com-
modious church biiilding to the society — the lot having been given the
year before by the company. The organization has always maintained
a strong existence and has made its influence felt for good throughout the
township. Within a few years the church building has been thoroughly
repaired and refurnished — cathedral glass placed in the windows and
a veiy handsome and valuable pipe organ installed in the auditorium.
The list of pastors is as follows, with the year of their installation : Revs.
Woodruff, 1838; T. K. Witsel, 1840; E. W. Griswold, 1843; Samuel N".
St. John, 1846; Joshua Penny, 1847; Joshua Burch, 1849; J. J. Smith,
1851; H. H. Harris, 1853; A. W. Nott, 1855; J. M. Ashley, 1857; J. J.
Smith, 1859; W. H. Miller, 1863; Mark E. Rude, 1865; G. B. Wray
and Thomas Wooster, 1867; C. Millard, 1868; J. J. Smith, 1869; A. M.
Wnodsworth, 1871; A. B. Purdy, 1873; J. C. Berrien, 1875; A. M.

572 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Woodsworth, ISTS; E. S. Ilulsiirt, 1SS2; J. J. Smith, 1885; James
Cody, 1890; S. G. Appleget, 1892, and S. K. Spahr, since 1896.

FIRST METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF STONY POINT.

Soon after tlie establishment of Methodism in the connty and about
the year 1804 circuit preachers began to minister to the people of Hav-
erstraw and Stony Point. Among those who opened their houses for
this purpose were Daniel Phillips and Mr. Wandell, who resided where
now stands the house of Mr. B. J. Allison. The hearers, however, were
connected in organization with the church at Haverstraw and it was not
until the year 1834 that a church was erected for the members in the
present town of Stony Point and a separate organization effected under
the name of St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church of North Haver-
straw. The first trustees were John J. Bulson, Abram Knapp and Wm.
II. Rose. The first Sabbath school superintendent was Samuel Bird.
The site was presented by Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Gurnee. The church
building was repeatedly enlarged and altered and in the year 1882 was
almost entirely rebuilt. In the year 1884-1885 the present M. E. Church
in Stony Point Villag'e was organized with a considerable number of for-
mer members of St. George's as a nucleus and the organization cori'es-
poudingly ^veakened, but the mother church is at present more than
holding her own. The present membership is one hundred and the
Sunday school 125. In the year 1889 the legal name of the organiza-
tion was changed to the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Stony
Point. Among the itinerants and circuit preachers of the early days who
assisted in planting ilethodism in Stony Point ma^^ be mentioned Revs.
James Sherwood, William Hibbard, PeterVannest, Daniel Fidler, John
Finley, ^Manning Force, Lawrence McCombs, Anthony Atwood. The
long line of pastors includes Rex's. L. M. Prettyman, Wm. Haiily, I. N.
Fetch, Benjamin Reed, Matthew Mattison, Alex. Gilmore, Josiah F.
Cnnfield, IMulford Day, L. R. Diinn, Joseph Ashbrook, George F.
Brown, William M. Burrows, Fletcher Lummis, Garrett Vanllom,
S. D. Longheed, M. C. Stokes, W. G. Wiggins, Walter Chamberlain,
F. S. Wolf, Rodney Winans, Gilbert H. Winans, J. W. Seran, David
Walters, J. W. Barrett, Richard Johns, Isaac W. Cole, A. S. Compton,
II. J. Ilayter, J. P. Fort, E. V. King, W. R. Keifer, Thomas H. Lan-
d.iii, N. W. Clark, C. Clark, Jr., Jacob A. Craig, Andrew Henry, S. K.
Doolittle, G. F. Apgar and J. II. Piper, the present pastor, since 1900.

TOWN OF STONY POINT. 573

The congTCgatioii has been ufteiitiuied united witli Garnerville or
Theills in the sui^port of a pastor, but for a number of years past has
been alone.

M. E. CHURCH OF STONY POINT.

For many yeai-s tlie only ilcthodist Episcopal Church at or near the
present Stony Point Village was that located at "Antioch" or the hamlet
about a mile west of the comers and known colloquially as the "Creek"
Church. Its official name was St. George's M. E. Church of North Ilav-
erstraw. In the years 1884-1885 during the pastorate of Rev. W. R.
Keifer at St. George's an organization was perfected among the Meth-
odists in and about Stony Point Village and a separate existence granted
by the C^onfcrence to the organization. In the spring of 1885 ilr.
Keifer was sent as first pastor, dividing his time with Garnerville. Those
,who succeeded him were Rev. I. N. VanZandt, 188i)-1892, Rev. S. D.
Harris, 1892-1897, Rev. S. D. Jones, 1897-1900, and Rev. L. F. Bow-
man, the present pastor, since 1900. The congregation at fii-st wor-
shijipcd in a temporary structure called the Tabeniacle, but during the
pastorate of Rev. VanZandt completed the present handsome church
edifice.

STONY POINT FIRE DISTRICT.

For some time prior to the year 1890 owing to increa.sed consump-
tion the Ilaverstraw Water Co., supplying water to the incorporated vil-
lages of Haverstraw and West Ilaverstraw, had felt the necessity of
increasing their visible supply. To this end the Stony Point Water (^o.
was organized. This company purchased the old Beebe saw mill site and
water privilege west of Stony Point Village and installed a plant to pump
the water to the crest of the hill back of the "Creek" Church, whei'c was
located a reservoir. At about the same time a petition signed by a largxa
body of taxpayers was presented to the Board of Sui>ei'visors requesting
that body to organize under Chapter 482, Laws 1875, and several amend-
atory acts, the Stony Point Fire District and empowering the election of
Fire Commissioners, who should have control over the district pro|wrty
and have authority to enter into a contract on l>ehalf of the District for
furnishing a supply of water for protection against fire. The petition
was presented Augnist 12, 1891, and on Sept. 14, 1891, the Board of
Sui>cn'isors granted the petition and incoii^orated the Fire District. The

574 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

act of iiicoi'poratiuu provided for the election of Fire Commissioners at
an election called on the 3d Tuesday of October, 1891. At this election
Brewster J. Allison, Eichard B. Marks, Watson Tomkins, Ezekiel 0.
Rose and Alfred M. Wiles were elected Fire Commissioners and they
have so conducted the affairs of the district as to secure their re-election
every third year ever since. The Commissioners entered into a conti-act
with, the Stony Point Water Company July 2, 1893, to furnish water
for fire purj^oses throughout the district for fifteen years at $1,000 a year.
Pipes were laid throughout the streets by the company and a supply of
hose and a hose cart purchased by the Commissioners, with which Wayne
Hose Company was equipped when organized.

In the year 1901 the Stony Point Water Company and the Haver-
straw Wat^r Company went through re-organization pi'ocess and all the
rights and franchises of the old companies turned over to a new company
called the Haverstraw Water Supply Company. The old facilities were
iiKireased and the fire district is now the fortunate possessor of an abun-
dant supply of pure water for protection against fire and for domestic
purposes as well.

WAYKE HOSE COMPANY.

Following soon after the completion of the water works and the lay-
ing of the mains through the recently organized fire district of Stony
Point, and on January 29, 1894, a meeting was held in Stony Point for
the organization of a fire company. Twenty-two young men signified at
that meeting their willingness to become active members. The company
was organized in July following under the name of Wayne Hose Com-
pany, with the following officers: Foreman, Frank E. Wiles; Assistant
Foreman, Walter G. Hamilton; Secretary Thomas M. Hastings; Treas-
urer, Frank C. Knapp. For some months a desultory existence was
endured — the company having no quarters, no apparatus, no uniform —
but finally quarters were secured in the barn of Louis Ossman and the
a]ij>aratus purchased by the district stored there. The company has also
since Tiniformed its membei's. In 1897 the company took possession of
the new fire house erected on Main street, and fTU-nishcd their social and
meeting rooms in a very tasty and handsome manner. In 1899 throxigh
the liberality of the taxpayers of the fire district in voting the money, a
handsome parade can'iage was purchased for the company at a cost of
$1,000. The company is now well equipped.

TOWN OF STONY POINT. 575

DEDICATIOX OF STOXY POINT BATTLEFIELD.

It has been said that there are three occasions in which Stony Point
has become famous, viz: At the time of the assault of Gen. Wayne in
1779, on the himdredth anniversary of that famous victory, July 16th,
1879, and on the occasion of the formal dedication of the battlefield as a
State park and reservation, July 16th, 1903. The celebration of the
centennial in 1879 was in many respects and on many accounts an unsuc-
cessful affair. In 1897 the Legislature of New York incorporated the
American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society and at the same ses-
sion passed an act appropriating $25,000 for the purchase of the Battle-
field of Stony Point and providing for its being turned over to the Scenic
Society as custodian for care and preservation. That portion of the bat-
tlefield lying east of the West Shore railroad was subsequently piu'chascd
in pursuance to the provisions of this act from Watson Tomkins and
the estate of Fred Tomkins for the sum of $21,500 and the balance of
the appropriation — $3,500 — was subsequently appropriated to be ex-
pended under the direction of the Scenic Society in improvement of the
site, etc. A dock was built and roads leading to the battlefield were laid
out and constructed and on July 16, 1902, the "park," of some foi-ty
acres, consisting of the site of the various outposts, earthworks, redouts
and military works of 1779, which had been previously located and
marked by the coi-ps of engineers from West Point M. A., was formally
dedicated to the public. The day certainly will mark for future years
an epoch in the history of Stony Point. The arrangements for the cele-
bration were under the charge and direction of a committee of the Scenic
Society and a local committee of Rockland county citizens and by just
so much as the perfected plans for the celebration of 1902 differed in
detail from those of 1879 will the reason for the successful oiitcome of
the aft'air be manifest. The National Government and the State Gov-
ernment were represented and fully 18,000 people assembled to honor
the efforts and acliievements of 1779 and to approve the policy of the
State in prescnang in competent hands the historic places and scenes
of the Revolutionary and Colonial struggles. The day was an ideal one.
A procession consisting of troops and organizations rendezvoused
at Stony Point Villag-e and marched to the reservation, where they
were reviewed by the Governor of the State, Benjamin B. Odell,
Jr., and other prominent guests of the committees.

576 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

After the review of tlie paratle tlie following literary prngTam was
carried out in a large tent erected about the center of the park:

AValter Setli Logan, Vice President of the American Scenic and His-
toric Preservation Society, presiding, in the absence of the President,
the Hon. Andrew II. Green. Music, "America," West Point Militaiy
Academy Band. Invocation, the Rev. Dr. Mun-ay, repi-eseuting the
Chaplain of the Empire State Society, S. A. R. ; Address of welcome,
the Hon. Alonzo Wheeler, of Ilaverstraw, X. Y. Address in behalf of
custodian society, Walter Seth Logan, Esq., of New York, Vice Pres-
ident American Scenic and Historic Pi'escrvation Society. Dedication
of the reservation, the Hon. B. B. Odell, Jr., of Xewburgh, Governor of
the State of New York.

Simultaneoiisly, following the declaration by the Governor of the
opening of the reservation: Music, "The Star Spangled Banner," West
Point ]\Iilitary Academy Band. Elag raising, William Wayne, Esq.,
of Paoli, Pa., lineal descendant of Gen. Anthony Wayne. Artillery
salute, 21 guns, U. S. Light Artillery from West Point, Capt. Edmund
M. Blake, commanding. Naval salute, 21 gims, H. S. S. Olympia, Capt.
Henry W. Lyon, U. S. N., commanding.

Address of acknowletlgvuient in behalf of the people, "Our Herit-
age," the Hon. Arthur S. Tompkins, of Nyack, N. Y., Member of Con-
gress, I7th District of New York. Historical oration, the Hon. Samuel
W. Pennyi3acker, of Philadelphia, Pa., President Pennsylvania Histor-
ical Society. Address, "The American Elag," the Hon. Thomas 11. Lee,
of Stony Point, District Attorney of Rockland county. Address, "Then
and Now," the Hon. Clarence Lexow, of Nyack. Dedicatory prayer
and benediction, the Rev. Charles Tyler Olmsted, D. D., of New York,
Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Central New York.

The committee in charge of the dedication consisted of th(> following
gentlemen:

For the Scenic Society, H. K. Bush Brown, Newburgh; Edward
HagamanHall, New York; Gordon II. Peck, Haverstraw; Hon. Alonzo
Wheeler, Haverstraw; Charles T. Wingate, New York.

Eor Rockland county. Chairman, Hon. Thomas H. Lee, of Stony
Point; Secretary, Major Robert A. Widenmann, of Haverstraw; Treas-
urer, John D. Blauvelt, of Nyack; Walter Tompkins, Alexander Rose,
Dr. N. B. Bayley, Michael McCabe, Dr. J. William Giles, John II.
Burke, J. Bogert'Suffern, P. Q. Eckerson, W. Parker Stnith.

TOWN OF STONY POINT. 577

PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHUECHES.

In the year 186G the Rev. Ebenezer Gay, then rector of Trinity Pro-
testant Episc<ipal Church at Haverstraw, established the "House of the
(jood Shepherd" there as a home and school for the oi-phan children of
the parish. This institution was removed later to Gamci'ville, and in
April, 1871, to Tomkins Cove, where a considerable tract of land was
secured, overlooking Peekskill Bay, and buildings erected. Mr. Gay
resigned charge of Trinity parish in 18(!0 and thereafter devoted himself
to teaching in the House of the Good Shepherd and mission work.
Although services were regularly held at Tomkins Cove after 1781, it
was not until 1884 that a parish was organized. At that date Grace
Church, Stony Point, was established, with ilr. Gay as rector. A small
chapel was early erected, called the "Free Hill Church," and the fo\in-
dations of a stone chiirch were afterwards started on the House of the
Good Shepherd grounds, but never completed. In 1883 a stone chapel
called "The Hovise of Prayer" was erected at Jones Point, in connec-
tion with this parish. The House of the Good Shepherd was main-
tained for upwards of twenty years, when the failing health of ilr. Gay
compelled its close. The property has lately come into the possession of
the Cathedral of St. John the Di^^ne, in Xew York city, and is now
called the Cathedral Mission, where children of both sexes from the ten-
ement districts are given an outing during tlie summer months.

M. E. CHURCHES AT JONES POINT AND MOUNTVILLE.

At Jones Point a small chapel, erected in 188:], and at Mountville,
a building originally donated by John Beveridge in 1851, as a Presby-
terian church, are used as places of worship by the Methodist Episcopal
denomination. Services are conducted by cironit preachci-s, no pastor
being settled at either. Each, however, has a flourishing Sunday school.

CIVIC LIST.

Supervisors — Wesley.!. Weiant, I860-IS6O; Daniel Tomkins, 1867;
Frederick Tomkins, 1868-1869, 1880-1884; George W. Weiant, 1870-
1875; Hiram Osboni, 1876-1877; William King, 1878-1879; William
K. Hammond, 1885-1886; Richard P.. ]\larks, 1887; M. F. Washburn,
1888; Fred W. Penny, 1892-189:'.; Alexander Rose, 1891-1894.

Town Clerks — Benson Briggs, 1865-1876; E. A. Thomi>son, 1876-
1892; Peter Caffroy, 189-3-1894; Matthew Hurd, 1895.

PART II.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

KIPP FAMILY. Wesley A. Kipp is one of the eleventh genera-
tion in lineal descent from Koeloff DeKype, who was- of French origin,
but who resided at Amsterdam, Holland, whither he had fled from
France. He was a prominent soldier. One of his sons is said to have
been a stockholder in the Dutch East India Company and an active pro-
moter of the voyage of Hendrick Hudson to New York in 1G09. His
son Hendrick DeKype (3rd gen.), born at Amsterdam in 1578, came
to America accompanied by his son Hendrick (4th gen.). They were the
fii-st of the name in the new woi'ld. Hendrick (3rd gen.) owing to ill
health soon returned to Holland, but his son Hendrick (ith gen.), who
seems to have been the first to drop the "De" from the name and who
was usually known as "Hendrick Hendrickson K^^jc," man-ied, and be-
came one of the first prominent settlers on Manhattan Island. He mar-
ried Ann DeSille and was chosen one of the nine selectmen; he also
sen'^ed as counsellor and Burgher. He afterwards removed to Amsel in
Delaware, where he embarked extensively in the brewing business on
the west bank of the Delaware river. The Governor of Delaware soon
made him a member of the council and commissioner of Amsel. In 169-i
he returned to New Amsterdam and purclrased 200 acres of land from
Capt. John Berry south of Hackensack. He died in New Amsterdam
1703, leaving cliildron of the 5th gen., Cornelia, Catherine, Peter and
Nicholas.

Nicholas (5th gen.), born at Amsel, Del., 1668, mamed Ann Brey-
ant of old Bergen, jiurclia.'^^d land adjoining his father's property; also
bought a large portion of his father's ])ruperty, was active in town and
church affairs. His eleven children of the sixth generation were:
Henry, Peter, Isaac, Cornelius, Jacob, Ann, Catherine, Elizabeth, Gar-
ret, Nicholas and John.

Nicholas (6th gen.) bom at Moonachie in 1720, married in 1749 Lea
Vreeland of Bergen. He was a fanner by occupation and wealthy. His
children were: Sophia, Isaac, Catharine, Peter, John, Maria, Ann and
Jemima.

2 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Isaac (7tL geu.) was born at Scliraalenbiirgli May lith, 1756, and
died there March 10th, 1813. He was the most influential man in
Schraalenburgh and owned large property interests. lie espoused the
cause of the Colonists. For this the British raided tlie Kipp farms and
committed other acts of spoliation. He served against the British in
local militia. He was a Major and later Colonel. His children of the
Sth gen. were: Nicholas, David, Henry, Ann, I^ah, Maria, Christina,
Isaac and James.

Da\dd Kipp (Sth gen.), bom at Schraalenburgh January 24th, 1783.
He married Elizabeth DeGraw of Old Taj^pan, and kept a general store
at Bergenfields for many years. He died May 18tli, 1SG4. His children
were: Maria (married M. S. S. Bogert), William, and Fanny (niamed
C. L. Blauvelt).

William Kipp (9th gen.), bom at Schraalenburgh Augiist 19th,
1812, married November 24th, 1831, Elizabeth Banta, and died 1871.
Fanner and politician; was Democratic leader of Han-ington township
for a time. At his death he left living issue, Isaac, David, Jolni B., Le-
vina, James and William DeGraw.

David W. Kipp (10th gen.), bom at Old Tappan Sept. 27, 1833,
conducted grocery business, succeeded his grandfather ; came to Sparkill
in 1857, was associated for a time with Doremns until 1808; dissolved,
conducted alone imtil death Feb. 18tli, 1901. Left issue Lizzie (de-
ceased), Louise and Wesley A.

AVESLEY A. KIPP (11th gen.), bom Sparkill, May 14th, 1868; ed-
ucated New Brunswick Rutgcr's Grammar School, 1886, and New York
city business college; spent two years in city. Then entered his fath-
er's store thoroughly learned all branches of tlie business and succeeded
his father. Married Amelia B. Knapp of Tappan; has one child, Clias.
Stradley Kipp, is identified with Masonic Brotherhood, etc., conducts an
extensive and very successful business and is a progressive, up-to-date
business man of excellent reputation.

CORNELIUS AURYANSEN was born at Picmiont, Rockland
county, July 26th, 1828. He received his education at this place, at-
tending the public schools, imtil aboiit eighteen years of age, wlien he
began learning tlie trade of tinsmith. After working at his trade for a
time in Piermont, he went to New York, where he finished his apprcn-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 3

tioeship. In 184S lie returned to Piennont, and worked for one year for
David A. Mabie, bought out his tin business and fonued a copartnership
under the name of Ward & Auryansen. They ditl business together for
five years and were very successful.

Mr. Auryansen was mai'ried in 1853 to Jane P. Savage. lie sold his
half of the business in 1854 to Levi Ward and went to Louisville, Ky.,
to put iron roofing on the Loiiisville & Nashville K. R. shops, and was
there one year. In 1855 he entered the Erie R. R. shop at Picrniont as
tinsmith, where he remained two years, and in 1857 bought his former
business from Levi Ward. In 1860 Mrs. Auryansen died, and that year
he sold out the business to Demarest Brothers and in 1861 took a trip to
Wisconsin. In 18G2 Mr. Auryansen married Jane E. Allen. In 1863-4:
he worked for the Erie R. R. In 1865 Ward and Auryansen formed
partnership again and bought out the biisiness of Demarest Brothers. In
1869 he sold his portion of the business to J. L. Maxwell and formed a
partnership with C. Sherwood to manufacture brick at Tappau. This
firm carried on the business four years but was unsuccessful, and in 1870
he bought J. L. Maxwell's portion of the tin business.

In 1871 Levi Ward sold his portion of his business to James De-
Clark; the finn name was then Auryansen & DoClark. In 1870 Mr.
Auryansen bought the interest of .lames DeClark and from that time to
the present he has been condticting the business successfully in his brick
building erected on Main street in the year 1866. Of his four sons John
W. Aiu'yansen (of his first wife) is his chief assistant in the business.

George W. is first bookkeeper in the office of the American Loan and
Trust Co., in Boston, Mass. Albert D. is first in transfer department of
the same concern, and Frederick D. is Civil Engineer at present ou the
Long Island R. R. Extension. Mr. Auryansen voted the Demo-
cratic ticket until Lincoln's second tenn; he then voted Republican and
has so voted ever since. He was a member of the Board of Education 25
years and President of the Board ten yeai's, and is a member of the true
Reformed Dutch Church.

HORATIO N. WOOD was bom at Tarrytown, N. Y., March 23,
1839. He attended the public schools there, and when twenty-four years
of age joined the Navy and was appointed Paymaster's Clerk to the flag-
ship Hartford, commanded by Admiral Farragut. Mr. AVood served for

4 HISTORV OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

15 months and was with Farragiit in the Battle of Mobile Bay, August
5, 1S64. After the war he was employed for four years in the Navy
] )i'partnient at Washington, D. C, and has since made his home in Hav-
ei"straw. lie served as Assistant Quartermaster-General upon the staff
of General Hedges, Commander of the G. A. E. for New York State,
which gave ]\Ir. AVood the rank of Colonel in G. A. K. circles.

On October 3, 1SG7, Mr. Wood was married to May Olivia Clarke,
of Washington, D. C, granddaughter of Sir Arthur and Lady Clarke of
Dublin and grandniece of Sydney Lady Morgan of London, and they
have a family of three childi'eu: F. Rollins, born Aiigust 19, 1S68, who
married Jennie McClelland of Denver, Col., and reside in New York
city; Samuel G., who was born October 21, 1870, married Florence
Edna Milburn of Haverstraw, and is a member of the New York Stock
Exchange and connected with the firm of Allen, Wood & McGraw;
and Lucy May, married to George M. Martin of Ottawa, Canada.

Mr. Wood is engaged in the manufacture of brick at Ilavei-straw in
connection with Brewster J. Allison. He has also been a stockholder in
the National Bank of Haverstraw sincx? its organization in 1871, a Di-
rector since January, 1800, and was made Vice-President at the annual
meeting in January, 1902. A short time after the death of General
Hedges, who had been President since the organization, Mr. Wood was
elected President.

H. N. Wood's ancestors were from Colchester, England. James
Wood, his grandfather, came to tliis conntry in 1801 and established
himself in business, first at Sing Sing, and later at George's Island and
Haverstraw. He was the pioneer brick manufacturer of Haverstraw,
and was prominently identified with local affairs. He was the father of
twelve children.

Samuel Wood, his second son, man-ied Malvina Smith, October 28,
1820. The children of this marriage who reached maturity were George
S., Mary E., Caroline, Theodore, Henrietta A., Horatio Nelson, Ellen
E. and Sophia L. Four died in infancy.

THE PIEESON FAMILY. Henry Pierson, from whom the Pier-
sons of Eamapo descend, was with |]dward Howell and John Cooper,
a leader of the Company which in 1640 left Lynn, Mass., to lay the foun-
dation of Southampton, Long Island, the first town settled l)y the Eng-
lish in the State of New Yoi'k. He was a native of Yorkshii^e, England,

BIOGRAPHICAL. 5

and came to Boston, America, in 1039. His brother Aln-aliam, a gradu-
ate of Trinity Collepej Camliridge, P]ng., and an ordained minister of the
Episcopal Church, was ordained a Congregational minister at Boston in
1040. Governor Wintlirop's Journal of April 4th, 1040, says: "Henry
Pi^-son was a member of the church of Boston as of the combination of
Lynn." In October of that year the Rev. Abraham Pierson was ap-
pointed by the Council at Boston to be pastor of the Southampton colony.

Henry Pierson died at Southampton, L. I., in IGSO, at which time
he was holding tlic office of Clerk of the County of S.uffolk. His wife
was Mary, daughter of John Cooper of Lynn. Of this union were born
John, Joseph, Daniel, Harry, Benjamin, TJieodore and Sarah.

Henry, his fourth child, was born at Southampton, L. I., in 1652.
He married Sussanah Llowell, the granddjaighter of Edward Howell,
and liecame one of the settlers of Bridgehampton, where he died in 1701.
Lie succeeded his father as County Clerk, and was for many years a
ilember and Speaker of the Provincial As.sembly. He was known as
Col. Henry Pierson. He had children, John, David, Theopholus, Abra-
ham, Josiah, Llannah, Sai-ah and Mary.

Josiah was born at Bridgehampton, L. I., in 109.5, and died in 1782.
He is said to have been married four times and had seventeen children.
Of these children Capt. Josiah was born in 1720 and died at Newark, X.
J., in 1783; married Julianna Gilbert of Newark, N. J. Benjamin,
born in 1741 and died at Ballston, Saratoga county, N. Y., in 1790, mar-
ried Sarah Gilbert of Newark. Benjamin had nine children: Josiah (!il-
bert, Jeremiah Halsey, Isaac, Lydia, Mary, Sai'ah, Caleb, John and Jo-
seph. Of these children Josiah Gilbert bom at Newai-k, N. .L, Septem-
l)er 29th, 1704; Jermiah Halsey born at Newark September 13th, 1700,
and Isaac born at Newark December 31st, 1770, are identified \vitli
IJamapo.

Benjamin Pierson moved with his family in 1772 to Richmond,
Ma.ss. He and his sons Josiah and Jeremiah became three of the sixty
Massachusetts men who bought from the Indians 230,000 acres of land
in central New York between the Owego and Chenango rivei'-s, whicdi
was confirmed to them by the Commonwealth of Mas.sachusetts in 1780
and known as the "Boston purchase."

Josiah Gilbert Pierson, who made the fii'st purchase of 119 acres of
land in the Ramapo valley, was a man of large executive ability and

6 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

great mcclianical goiiins. He came to New York city from Rielimond,
Mass., ill 1790, and went into business on his own account. In 17!i3 he
was manufacturing cut nails, and March the 23rd, 1794, the United
States Government granted him a patent for "machinery for cutting
nails." This was the first patent of the kind. Appleton's Dictionary of
Mechanics says "the manufacture of cut nails is entirely an American
invention. The second patent was granted to Jac(jb Perkins of Boston
in 1795. Mr. Pierson operated his nail works in JSTew York city and sold
hoop and band iron, principally for oil casks for the New Betlford whale
fisheries, but he had to send the iron which was imported from Russia to
Wilmington, Del., to be rolled and slit. In 1795 he detemiined to have
iron works of his own and sent for his brother Jeremiah to join him. In
]May they went together "to sun'ey the stream of the Pamapo river" in
"Sidnian's Clove;" there they determined to locate the works and soon
afterwards name<l the spot "Ramapaugh Works."

Jeremiah Pierson superintended the construction of the works and
in June, 1796, moved with his family from Xew York city to Ramapo,
where for sixty years he conducted them.

Ho was appointed by the Governor of the State of New York Judge
of the Court of Common Pleas for Rockland county in 1807, and Pre-
siding Justice of the Court in 1809. He was electetl to Congi-ess in
1S21. In 1831 he represented Rockland county in a memorial to the
LegislatTire for a charter for the Erie Railroad and was one of the Direc-
tors named in the charter granted in 1832. After a long life of wse-
fulness and honor, he died at Ramapo December 12th, 1855, in the nine-
tieth year of his age.

Josiah Ctilbert Pierson did not live to see the completion of his iron
works. He died in New York city December 17t]i, 1797. lie never
married, and left his interests in Ramapo and New York to his brothers,
Jeremiah and Isaac, with whom he was associated under the name of
J. G. Pierson & Bros. The nail works and rolling mill were very pros-
perous from the start and in the course of twenty-five yeai-s a village of
seven liundred inhabitants had grown up about them. In 1822 Jere-
miah and Isaac Pierson incorporated them under the name of the "Ram-
apo ifanufacturing Company."

In 1826 Isaac Pierson, who had charge of the business in New York
city, sold his interests to his brother Jeremiah, and a ftnv vf^ars after
moved to Canandnigua, N. Y., where he died in 1848.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 7

Jeroniiah ITalsoy Pierson was maiTied at TJiclmiond, ^fass., in 17!V2
to Sarah Colt, daiigliter of Jabcz Colt. Their children were Elizabeth,
wife of Eleazer Lord, first President of the New York and Erie R. R.;
Josiah Gilbert, Jeremiah Halsey, Theodore, Henry, Lewis and Ben-
jamin.

Henry Lewis Pierson was born at Ramapo Angnst 15th, 1807. (He
took the name of Lewis from his twin brother, who died in infaney). In
lS2(i he assisted in a snrvey made by the State for a road throiic,h the
soiithem tier of counties from the Hudson river to Lake Erie. In 1828
he entered the firm of J. G. Pierson & Bros., and took charge of the
Xew York business. In 1831 lie was in Charleston, S. C, and took part
at the opening of the first section of the Charleston and Angusta Rail-
road. (There were then but fifteen miles of railroad in the LTnited
States, the road between Albany and Schenectady.) In 1840 he nego-
tiated in England for 6,000 tons of rails, the first rails of the N'ew York
and Erie Railroad. He was then a Director of the road, and in 1841 its
Vice President and at another time its Treasurer. In 1851 he filed at
Washington a caveat for a patent for "improvement in cutting threads
on wood screws." In his specifications he says: "During the operation
of threading the position of the dies or points may be changed so as to
form taper or pointed screws." This is what is called the gimlet pointed
screw.

In 1865 Mr. Pierson again went to England and secured a loan of
£800,000 sterling for the Erie Railroad.

After the death of his father he Ix^came the proprietor of all the
Ramapo proi>erty and in 1869 he removed from New York city to the
"Homestead" at Ramapo. He died December 28th, 1893. His children
were Henry Lewis, Edward F., George B., Helen M., the wife of Wil-
liam G. Hamilton, Sarah E., J. Fred., Isaac C, who died in infancy,
and Julia.

WILLIAM J. RANDOLPH. Within the past few years the sub-
ject of this sketch has become one of the most prominent figures in the
official life of his native county. He is also prominent in its political
life, dra^\'ing■ his supporters from the ranks of all parties represented in
the coimty, and as a result he has never been defeated in election to any
office for which he has been selected as a candidate by his friends. A
record to be proud of and which many would like to boast of.

8 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Mr. Randolph was liorn in Nyack in ISfi,'). He attondod the Nyack
Hiji'h Sehool and on gra(hiation he was taken intf) l)nsin('S.s by his fatlicr,
receiving a practical training which has resulted in placing him in the
front rank of the many bright business men of the county. The busi-
ness of ^\'holesale grocery, feed and proA'isions now carried on imder the
style of Randolph Erothei-s was establisheil in 1850 by AVilliam Ilau-
dolpli, the father of our subject, and the foundation then laid has served
for the building of one of tlie strongest business houses in the county.

]\Ir. Randolph is a prominent meml>er of the various social and fra-
ternal organizations of the coiinty, including the Masons, Odd Fellows,
Red Men, Royal Arcanum, etc., and is also an exempt member of
]\lazcppa Fire Engine Co. No. 2, of the Nyack Fire Department

Mr. Randolph has sei-ved as Trustee of the Village of Nyack, Treas-
urer of the Nyack Board of Trade, Collector of Taxes for three years,
and in 189!) was elected County Treasurer. Since his encumbency of
the latter office he has shown himself to be peculiarly fitted for the office.
He has succeeded in placing the credit of the county on a basis which
makes its bonds gilt edged in the money markets of the country. Until
the adA^ent of Mr. Randolph the bonds of the coiinty have been good
security, but at a high rate of interest. Mr. Randolph established the
rate on county bonds at .03 1-2 per cent.

Mr. Randolph with all the cares of social, official and political life
is eminently domestic in his tastes, and with his wife, Norma, the daugh-
ter of Mr. Jacob Wilsie, of Nyack, and his children^ William James, Jr.,
and Madeline, enjoys to the fullest his beautiful and exquisite home in
Aldine Park.

Mr. Randolph is recognized as a model citizen, and a good, capable
and efficient pidJic servant.

THE FELTER FAIMILY. William Fclter, or Vidta, as the name
was sometimes written, was one of a company of Dutch or German set-
tlers who purchased the southern part of (Juaspack, or the Pond patent
previous to 1750. He also had a farm not far from what is now known
as Valley Cottage. John Felter, who was grandson of William Felter,
was born in 1T5(), and died September 11th, 18.30. He came to TTaver-
straw in the early part of the present century and had a house and store
at the foot of Main street. He had a dock nearby and was the captain
and owner of a market sloop. Captain Felter married Martha Cooper,

BIOGRAPHICAL. 9

wlio was liorn !Novomlior IDtli, ITVO, and died Dccemhor lltli, 1843.
Their soil, Gilbert, was liorn Jannarv 12tli, 17SS, and died September
5tli, 1820. lie married ilary Ackeriiiaii, of Saddle Itiver, N. J. She
was born .Fannary 2Stli, 1791, and died May 25t,h, 187.5. They had two
sons, (iarret, who moved awa}' and whose descendants are now in New
York city, and John W., who was born .Taiiiiary 14th, 180S, and married
Anna, danghter of Josiah Concklin. Like his father, he was a fanner
and a prominent, citizen. He was for se\'eral yeai-s Supervisor of Ilav-
erstraw and Sheritt' of Rockland count}' from 1837 to 1840. He held
many other offloes. Mr. Felter was the father of nine children: John
W., -losiali, Laura D., Franklin P., Anna E., Georce and Warren E.
The father of this family died .[une .'Jth, 18fi4, at the age of 56 3'ears,
and his wife survived him until December, 1901.

HOX. JOnX W. FELTEK was born August 22, 1843. He is en-
gaged in brick manufacturing and has alwa_ys taken a keen interest in
public affairs. He was for five years one of the As.sessors of Haverstraw,
and for three years Commissioner of Plighways and was elected to the
Assembl_y in 1883. The old homestead of the Felter family is the farm
formerly owned by Isaac Sherwood, supposed to be lot No. 5 in the east
division of Kakiat. To this they have added a large tract which once
belonged to the Conklin family.

JOSIAH FELTER was bom on the Felter fann near Haverstraw
May 25th, 1845. After acquiring a good education, he devoted
his time to the care of the farm, which to a large extent he man-
aged until 1873, when he fonned a co-partnership with Henry Christie,
and embarked in the brick manufacturing business. This business he
followed successfully for twenty years, ten years with Mr. Clu'istie as
a partner, and the last ten yeai-s alone. In 1893 ho retired from business
and has since devoted his time to the management of his private prop-
erties and in fulfilling the duties of the office of Supei-visor of the Town
of Haverstraw, which office he has held continuously for the past twenty-
two years, and a goodly portion of that time he was chairman of the
Board.

December 28th, 1881, he married Miss Anna Christie, daughter of
John D. Christie, of Havei-straw, a fonner well known civil engineer
of that place. They have two sons, Irving, born Februaiy 7th, 1884,
and John W., born August 15th, 1891.

10 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

FEANK P. FELTEK was born in Ilaverstraw September lOtli,
1852. He attended the Ilaverstraw .■^ihools until about sixteen
years of age, when lie a.'^sisted in the management of the fami left
b}' his father, situated about three miles west of Ilnverstraw.
Here he resided until 1882, when he move<l into the village, where he
now lives, on Hudson avenue. His time is taken up with the manage-
ment of his personal estate and in the care of the brickyard property
o^vtled jointly with his brother, George C Felter. This valuable projj-
erty, consisting of three brickyards that they have leased out, is situated
on the river front and has an inexhaustible supply of the best brick-
making clay.

Mr. Felter has served on the Board of Education of Haverstraw and
is a member of Stony Point Lodge No. 313, F. and A. M. In 18S1 he
was united in marriage with Augusta Haring, of Ramapo. Thej- have
one son, Warren B., who lives at home and attends Dwight's private
school in New York. He will soon take up the study of law.

GEORGE 0. FELTER was born in Haverstraw August 9th, 1858.
His first business experience was in the owniing and handling of a tug-
boat, which he purchased in 1879, and ran three years.

He then, with his brother, Frank P. Felter, purchased a valuable
property on the banks of the river at Haverstraw and they have since
leased this land to maniifacturers of brick. It embraces three brick-
yards and produces brick of the best quality and substance, possessing
the rich, red hue so much desired in building brick, and which makes
it a ready seller in the New York markets.

Mr. Felter is a member of Stony Point Lxlge No. 313, F and A. M.,
and for a niuuber of years has been a member of the Board of Education
of Haverstraw.

In 1881 he married Sarah C. Rutherford, daughter of Gollingwoofl
Rutherford, of Haverstraw. They have three children, the eldest,
George C., Jr., is now studying law in the New York ITnivei'sity. Ruth-
erford S. and Helen L. are living at home.

THE GESNER FAMILY. The Gesners in Rockland county are
descendants of Tohan Hendrik Gessinger and his wife, Ann Elizabeth
Smith, Palatine emigrants, who came from England in 1710, in one of
the vessels in charge of Governor Hunter. They fii-st landed on Gov-
ernor's Island, and afterwards went to Yonkei-s, and after residing by

BIOGRAPHICAL. 11

the Brnnx for a time tlioy moved to the Tipper part of Xew Jersey near
Tappaii. lie had a son born there in 1724 named John llendrick, who
married Famiche Browser in 1744. Through her the Gesners trace their
descent from Anneke Jans. Jolin II. Gesner and Famiche Brower had
seven sons and three daughters, and were probably all born on the farm,
which lay partly in N'ew Jersey and partly in New York. The follow-
ing are tlie children and their wives: Fii'st, Elizalieth, married Jacob
Concklin; second, Famiche, who died nnman-ied; third, John Hendi-ik,
married Annie Ondordonk; fourth, Jacob, married Anna Briggs; fifth,
Isaac, mamed Johanna Levidger; sixth, Henry, married Sarah Pines;
seventh, Abraham, married Elizabeth Stedman; eighth, Coniolius, mar-
ried Catharine Conklin; ninth, Nicholas, nian-ied Grace Post; tenth,
Famiche, married Peter Wiksie. Of these ten children the Gesnei-s in
this county are descendants only of Nicholas and John Hendrik. The
former settled or rather remained at Palisades and John H. settled at
Lower Nyack. The other sons previous, or during the beginning of the
Revobition, went elsewhere and settled. Jacob became a captain in the
British army. Henry and Abraham were tmns. They went to Canada
and attained high positions in the King's service. Henry became a col-
onel. The Gesners in Nova Scotia and Canada are descendants of these
two brothers, each of whom had lai-ge families. (Jolonel Henry (iesner
had a son, Abraham, who became a noted scientist and wTiter. One of
the descendants of Colonel Henry Gesner was Archibald Lampman, the
celebrated Canadian poet whose early death was so much regTCtted.

The two brothers who remained in this country were most loyal
and hororable citizens. Nicholas had four children: William Herbert,
Nicholas, Sarah and Jacob. Jacob was a Baptist clergyman and William
N. Gesner, the great shipbuilder of New Haven, Conn., is a son of Wil-
liam Herbert Gesner. Nicholas, the father, was a colonel of militia.
He was only a boy when the Revolution broke OTit. John Henry Gesner,
who settled at Lower Nyack, signed his name to the Orangctown Reso-
lutions, but did not take an active part in the war. He had a small ves-
sel in the early part of the Revolution and carried building stone from
the river quanies to New York. The British seized his vessel to use as
a ferry at New York, and he voluntarily went Avith it to get it back, fear-
ing otherwise that he might lose it altogether. He soon afterward escajied
with the boat, but was recaptured. There is no record of what l)ecame

12 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

of tlio 1)oat, but lie died at Xyaek in 1833, aged S3 years and S mouths.
His children were: John, who married Rachel Palmer; Ann, married
Joshua Brush; Phoebe, married John Sneden; Hemy, married Pachel
Townseud; Sarah, married James Lent; Elizabeth, married Sylvester
TIayford; David, married Elizabeth Cm"vine; Mary, married Elijah
Appleby; Abraham, married Wilmina Onderdonk; Jane, married Evert
n. Wendell. Of these children the descendants of Ann Prush arc rej>
resented at the present time in Peter Bnish, of Englewood, N. J. ; Ealtus
Prush and C. W. Fiillwood, of Nyack. Phoebe Sneden settle<l at Pier-
mont and her best known descendant, a grandson, is ]\Ir. Charles Law-
rence, of Sparkill. Henry, the next in the above list, settled at Nyack,
was a shipbuilder and built many vessels, including the first Nyack
steamboat, the Orange. He was the fii-st who built centre-boards in ves-
sels. Prominent among his descendants are Rev. Oscar Gesner, of Lin-
den, N. J.; Henry T. Oesner and sou, John M. Gesner, cashier of the
Nyack National Bank; Miss Sarah Christie, a fox-mer post-mistress of
Nyack, and Henry Perry.

Elizabeth Hayford settled in Troy, 'N. Y. Among her lai'ge family
was a son, Henry Hayford, a veteran steamboat pilot of the Hudson
river. He guided the great steamboat Drew for over fifteen years, and
the steamer Commodore ■ for about the same length of time. The
descendants of David Gesner remained in this vicinity. Among them
are Miss Carrie Snediker, Garret Polhcmus and John Pitt, of Upper
Nyack. Mary Gesner, wife of Elijah Appleby, settled in Upper Ny.ack.
Dr. Harvey C. Gilchrest and son. Dr. John Gilehrest, dental surgeons
of Nyack, represent this family, which was not large. Abraham Gesner
settled in South Nyack. Isaac O. Gesner, of Port Orange, Fla., and
Robert, H. Fenton, the historical writer of Nyack, represent this branch
of the Gesners. The children of Jane Wendell settled in New York
city and Westchester county. This family was small and is best repre-
sented by HaiTy Delaney, a grandson, and inventor of a car delivery
mail bag apparatus.

REV. OSCAR GESNER was born in Nyack, Rockland county, N.
Y., November Ifith, 1S40. He was prepared for college princi]ially at
the Irving Institute at Tarrytown, N. Y., and finished preparatory study
in the grammar school at New Brunswick, N. J. He then graduated
from Rutger's College, New Brunswick, in the class of 18G2, and from

BIOGRAPHICAL. 13

the Theological Seminary, New Briniswiek, 18(35. Mr. Gesner was then
licensed to preach by the South Classis of Long Island May 22ii(l, 1SG5,
and was ordained at Eocky Hill, N. J., by the Classis of Philadelphia,
on the Otli day of November, 1865. He has had only two charges. First
lieforined (Dutch) Church at Rocky Hill, X. J., for nearly six years
and second, Eefornied (Dutch) Church at Linden, N. J., where he is
still living, though retired. Oscar Gesner married the youngest daugh-
ter of Joshua Brush, of Nyack, Caroline Elizabetli Brush. They have
had three children, two sons and a daughter. The oldest son was or
became Joshua Brush Gesner, M. D. He was a graduate of Pi-inceton
University, also a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
New York city. He is dead and left two daughters. The second son is
the Rev. Herbert M. Gesner, a graduate of Princeton University, the
New York Law School and of Auburn Theological Seminary. He is at
the present time pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church of Sai-atoga
Spring's, New York, where he has been settled for about six years. Their
one daughter died in infancy.

JOHN M. GESNER, cashier of the Nyack National Bank, received
his education in the schools of his native village, Nyack. In 1878, upon
the organizatif)n of the Nyack National Bank, he entered the institu-
tion as junior clerk. He was appointed bookkeeper the following year.
This position he held until 1886, when he was elected cashier.

John M. Gesner was born in Nyack March 15th, 1850, and married,
November 15th, 1879, Annenia, daughter of Captain John Lyon, of
Nyack, and they have one son, John Millard, and one daughter, Sara L.

Mr. Gesner has been treasm-er of the Village of Nyack for the past
fourteen years and treasxuTr of the school board for twenty years. An
aide financier, a, friend to all progressive movements in the county
wherein his interests lie, a gentleman respected and highly esteemed
by his fellow townspeople, Mr. Gesner is a representative member of
one of the leading and oldest families in the county.

JOHN M. ERNST was bom in New York city. He has been a
resident of Nyack, N. Y., for over fifty years, and is head of the exten-
sive house furnishing and hardware business of Ernst & Brother, at 1-10
Main street, Nyack. Mr. Ernst is of Holland descent. He was married
to Miss Emeline Provost, and his family consists of one daughter,
Estelle.

14 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

HENRY EKNST, the senior member of the firm of Ernst &
Brother, is also a native of New York city, biit like his brother has re-
sided and been identified with local affairs in Nyack for over fifty years.

WILLIAM W. SNOW. The family from which William W. Snow
is descended is of Welsh origin. The foimder of this branch of the Snow
family in America served imder Cromwell, and on the restoration of the
Stiiart dynasty came to America and settled in Vermont, then known as
part of the "Hampshire Grants." Joseph Snow, the grandfather of the
subject of our sketch, served in tlie Revolution, and David Snow, the
father, was Colonel of Militia during the War of 1812.

William W. Snow was bom at He^th, Franklin county, Mass., July
I7th, 1828. At fifteen years of age he took up the book binding trade,
which he followed for about three years. He was then for some two
years Assistant Civil Engineer employed in the survey for the Worcester
& Nashua R. R., remaining until the preliminary siirvey was completed
and the grades established. In 1848 he went to Woonsocket, R. I.,
and for the five succeeding years was employed in the foundry at that
place. He then went to Indianapolis, Ind., as superintendent of the
Indianapolis City Foundry, where he remained about three years. In
1856 he returned east and located at Newburgh, N. Y., where he with
others established a factory for the manufacture of car wheels, under the
name of Stanton, Snow & Co. For three years this business was suc-
cessfully carried on, under the general management of Mr. Snow, and
in 1859 he withdrew his interests and removed to Jersey City, where he
was tendered the office of General Manager of the Union Car Wheel
AVorks of that city, which he accepted and held six years.

In 1866 Mr. Snow came to Ramapo and with others organized the
Ramapo AVheel and Foundry Company, of which he was made Superin-
tendent and General Manager and finally President. In 1873 lie built
the village of Ilillburn, N. Y., erecting there a residence for himself,
where he still resides.

In 1881 Mr. Snow organized the Ramapo Iron Works at Ilillburn
and was President of the company for several years, when he resigned
and was succeeded by his son, Fred W. In July, 1900, Mr. Snow began
the ei-ection of commodious buildings in Mahwah, N. J., and installed
therein the Ramapo Foundry, of which company he was President until
its consolidation with other interests.

BIOGRAPHICAL. IS

In 1895 Mr. Snow was appointed by Governor Morton one of the
New York State Commissioners to the Atlanta Exposition.

In 1859 Mr. Snow married Oliva A., daughter of Burrill Estes, of
Woonsocket, R. I. They have three childi-en: Fred W., Nora E. and
Clara A., the wife of Elmer J. Snow, General Superintendent of the
American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company. Mr. Snow is a member
of the Presbyterian Church of Ramapo and Chainnan of the Board of
Trustees. v

Mr. Snow has many business interests and has held many important
offices. He is a prominent member of the Masonic order, belonging to
the Grand Body of Knights Templar, having served as Grand Com-
mander of the State of New Jersey. Socially Mr. Snow is a member of
several clubs in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

THE BLAUVELT FAMILY. The familiar name Blauvelt, under
its various forms of Blawvelt, Blaeuvelt, Blawfit, Bleuveldt, Blaeuw-
veldt, and many others besides the present accepted spelling, appears in
the history of Rockland and Orange counties from the very beginning.

We find that Johannes Bla\\'^"elt was baptized in Tappan as early as
16G4, when the third purchase of land was made, in 1686, including a
tract now embracing Orangetown, there was a Blauvelt among the forty
families that constituted the white colony of that date. In 1872 a census
was taken and showed that the old iindividcd county of Orange, which
included what is now Rockland, contained but 54 white men, 40 white
women, 145 white children and 33 negro slaves. A number of Blauvelts
figured among the whites. In the records of the old church at Tappan
for 1728 is an entry showing that Lambert Ariansen and Margaret
Blauvelt, his wife, and later Lambert Smith and the same wife stood
god father and god mother to the then numerous ward children; also
that one Johannes Blawfelt was connected with said chnreli at that date.

At a town election in Orangetown in 1744, first Tuesday in April,
Bartiis and Daniel Blawfelt were elected Overseers of Highways; also
that Daniel Blauvelt was Supervisor for Orangetown in 1728-9.

It is a matter of record that in 1741 Jacob A. Blauvelt, son of Abram
Blauvelt, of Tappan, county of Orange, and Province of New York,
bought of William Campbell a tract of 300 acres situated in the pre-
cinct of Haverstraw, one and a half miles from the present Court House
at New City, for the sum of £100, or about $500.

16 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

One of the oldest graves in District 'No. 6, Clarkstown, is that of
Johanna Blauvelt, wlio died May 2-ith, 17!)4, aged seventy-nine years.
When the courts of Rockland county were first formed, in 1798, John
J. Blauvelt was associate judge. In 1751 Petiiis, Maria, Abraham and
Janntje Blauvelt, children of Abraham Blauvelt, were baptized in
Clarkstown.

Cornelius A. Blauvelt, whose descendants afterward lived at Nan-
uet, was a soldier in the War of the Revolution; also several othei-s
of the same name of Blauvelt, and not without distinction. There was,
for instance, Johannes D. Blauvelt, who was a Colonel in the Patriot
army, and who made an earnest appeal for more men to i)rotect the
threatened country of Southern Orange (now Rockland) county. Prior
to this honor in 1775, many Blauvelts, among them GaiTet, Thomas,
Isaac and Abraham, of Orangetown, signed the General Allegiance to
the cause of Liberty, and this adherence cost many their lives, for they
"fought as they signed." Throughout all the subsequent history of
Orange, and, later, of Rockland county, the name of Blauvelt is seen
connecting the family with public office, the l>ench, the bar, educational
movements, church work, all the learned professions and also in com-
mercial activities.

A person examining the map of Rockland comity will not fail to
notice a singular in-egiilarity in the line between Orangetown and Clarks-
town, by which a tract of land south of !N^anuet is included
in the former town, though it would seem naturally to belong to the
latter. This tract was the farm and homestead of a branch of the Blau-
velt family, and in 1789 was OAvned by Johannes Joseph Blauvelt. The
town line was made to run aroimd his farm in order to gratify his wish to
remain an inhabitant of OrangetovsTi.

Joseph Blauvelt, the progenitor of the Blauvelt family, resid-
ing in and about Spring Valley, was bom September I7th, 1740, on the
farm in Orangetown, a part of the tract purchased by his father early
in the eighteenth centiuy. He married Johanna, daughter of Nicholas
Demarest. Their children were: John, bom May 8th, 1770; died
]^ovember 30tli, 1855. His descendants are now liAang in Xew Jersey.

Nicholas, bom June 4th, 1772; died April 19th, 1856. He mai-ried
Catharine Youry, and their children were: Joseph, Cornelia, wife of
Peter Johnson; Hannah, wife of James Blauvelt; Martha, wife of

BIOGRAPHICAL. 17

Abraliain Sen^eii; Cornelius, who married Maria Ilariiie,-, and William.

Cornelius, born Jnue 12tli, 1775; died June 12tli, 1858. lie mar-
ried Bridget, daughter of John Tallman. Their children were: Joseph,
born Xoveniber 8th, 179G; died in 1884. (He married Eebecca, daugh-
ter of Isaac Rerasen, and their children were: Isaac E., Mary, wife of
John DeBaun; Margaret, wife of Sylvester Westervelt; Aaron and
Cornelius E.). John, born AugTist 21st, 1801; died in 1876; married
Margaret, daughter of Jacob DeClark and left one child, Lucretia. Cor-
nelius, bom August 20th, 1808; died in 1858; man-ied Sarah, daugh-
ter of Aaron Demarest and had a daughter, Ellen, wife of David Crans-
ton. Abraham, born January 18th, 1812; married Susanna Slaughter,
died in 1873, but left no children. T^icholas C, born July 22nd, 1814.
Tunis, who was born March I'.itli, 1817, and moved to AVisconsin, where
his family is now living.

Hon. Nicholas C. Blauvelt, a grandson of Joseph, was born near
Spring Valley. Mr. Blauvelt married, first, Mary A., daughter of
Abram J. Demarest; .second, Maria, daughter of Peter Demarest; tliird,
Lavinia, widow of Isaac Conklin. Ills children were: Ellen, \vife of
Miles Davenport, of Patereon, N. J.; Abram, who married Caroline,
daughter of .Jabez Wood; John, who married Caroline Aekerman; Mary
A., wife of Alpheus Sherwood; Serena, wife of Abram Sherwood, and
Lizzie, wife of Outwater Hutton.

Joseph Blauvelt, the ancestor of this family, had brothers : Cornelius
(who was an officer in the Revolution) and John. He had sisters:
Maria, married Resolvent Van Houten; Margaret, wiie of Tunis Tall-
man; Elizabeth, wife of Jacobus Van Orden; Catherine, \vife of Ilar-
manus Tallman, and Vroutie, wife of GaiTet Oblenis.

JOHN D. BLAUVELT, Nyack, is the son of Hon. Nicholas C.
Blauvelt and Mary Ann Demarest-Baluvelt. . He thus can trace direct
descent from both sides to well known Revolutionary anccstoi-s. He
was born in the village of Spring Valley in 1840 and received a liberal
education preliminary in local schools and completed his studies in New
York city. He in 1864 formed a partnership with his brother Abram
D. Blauvelt in Spring Valley. This firm continued until 1883, when
they dissolved, John D. taking the stock of drugs and Abram D. the gen-
eral merchandise. In 1890 John D. Blauvelt moved his business to
Nyaek, where he now has one of the finest and most extensive drug estab-

18 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

lishmcnts in the lower Hudson valley. At tlic outbreak of tlie war in
ISCl, John D. enlisted in Butterfield'.s Twelfth New York Volunteers,
and is uow a member of Waldron Post, G. A. R., No. 82. He has repeat-
edly been chosen delegate to State and Congressional Oonventions. In
1901 he accepted the Democratic nomination for Congress and made a
very remarkable run, considering that he spent no money and devoted no
personal attention to canvass.

Mr. Blauvelt is a member of the Sons of the Revolution, of the
Masonic brotherhood, of Avhich he was secretary of the Chapter. He is
Pi-esident of the Nyack Board of Trade and of the Oakfield Cemetery,
and for a time under Cleveland's administration was Postmaster of
Spring Valley. He was married in ISG-l, and has one son, Arthur M.
Blauvelt.

Nicholas C. Blauvelt, the father of John D. Blauvelt, was born in
Rockland county, of which for uuiuy years he was a prominent man and
infliu'utial citizen. A man of marked ability, he was by his townspeople
chosen to represent them in the county Board of Supervisoi-s, and in
the Assembly. He gave educational matters his earnest attention and
in the up building of the free schools he was especially interested. He
was himself a man of fine etlucation, having been a graduate of Rutgers
College, class of '33. At diiferent times he filled the office of County
Superintendent of Schools and in every way possible advanced the grade
of scholarship.

HIRAM KNAPP, Sloatsburg, was l)orn at South Norwalk, Conn.,
November llth, 1839. He is the son of Charles Knapp, a native of
South Norwalk, Conn., who was born in 181C, and a grandson of Capt.
Joliii Knapp, W-ii at Stamford, Conn., in 1788. The ancestor of the
family in this county was Silas Knapp, bom in Lorulon, England, in
1735, who came to America. He had a son, Nathan, boni at Stamford,
Conn. Nathan was the father of Captain John Knapj). When he was a
child our subject's parents moved to New York city, where he received
his education. His first business experience was in a wliolesale men's
fiuMiishing establishment in New York. In 1861 he became clerk in the
office of the United States department for drilling and organizing vohm-
teers, with headquarters in White street, New York. He remained in
this position about six moutlis when he received tlie appointment as

BIOGRAPHICAL. 19

assistant secretary to Adjutant-General Nichols of the War Department
at Washington, and held this office until the close of the war in 1865.
llr. Knai)p tlien retiu'ued to New York and with Lemuel Purdy built
and equipped a shoddy mill, which they ran for a time, when Mr. Knapp
purchased his partner's interest in the business and conducted it alone
until 18(S7, when fire destroyed the entire plant. In 1872 Mr. Knapp
located in Sloatsburg, where he again embarked in the shoddy mill bus-
iness. A few years elapsed and he once more lost the entire plant by fire,
lie rebuilt and began again, but was revisited by fire in 1900, which
entirely destroyed the establishment. Mr. Knapp evidently does not
believe in succumbing to the inevitable, for he has rebuilt the plant,
installed new machinery throughout, and is turning out shoddy every
day.

]\Ir. Knaj)p is a member of the Board of Education of Sloatsburg.
In 1860 he married Margaret A. Tayloi", of Hyde Park, on Hudson.
They have five children: Charles St. John, Laura Grace, Alice B.,
Bessie A. and Lewis IL. Charles marrie<l Emma J., daughter of Thomas
Allen, and lives in Sloatsburg. Grace is the wife of Otto Balzcr, of
New York.

THOMAS W. SUFFEPN. Early in 1763 our subject's grand-
father, John Sutfern (incidents in whose life are noted in detail in liam-
apo History), sailed from County Antrim, Ireland, to America. Upon
liis arrival at Philadelphia, together with his brother James, he was
sold by tiie captain with whom they took pat-sage to serve a Quaker fam-
ily for one year. (This was a curious custom much in vogue during these
early days, by which sea captains increased their gains.) The brothers,
John and James Suffern, seiwed the Quaker faithfully for the year and
then engaged with him for another year on wages. They saved money
and took up the peddling business. John peddled north from Philadel-
])hia and James south. During the Kevolutiou they became separated.
John came to the Ranuipo Valley in 167:5. Thomas W. Suffern, his
grandson, was born in the Suffern homestead at Hillburn, Pockland
county, July 27th, 1824. His education was acquired in the public
schools of Suffern. At the age of fourteen he left schoo] and took up
farm work for liis brother James.

20 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

In 1840 he tauglit a district school in the Ramapo valley, just over
the Jersey line, at a place called God\vinville, now kno\\Ti as Worten-
dyke, in Bergen connty. He tanght this sch(3ol two seasons.

In 1844 he stai'ted in the ship timber business, buying standing tim-
ber and cutting on contract for various shipbuilders. He followed this
business successfully for thirteen yeai-s and during that time furnished
timber that entered into the construction of some of the largest ships
and merchant vessels in the New York harbor. In 1857 he again took
up the occupation of teaching; for a few years he taught in Bergen
county, and from 1861 to 18(i3 taught in the public schools of Suffem.
During the many years of his service as teacher he was never absent for
a day, nor was he once late in attendance, an cxam])le of punctualit}' and
strict attention to duty worthy of emulation. In 18G3 he opened a pri-
vate school at his home, on the hill, in Suffcru. This school he con-
ducted for many years.

In 1870 Mr. Suffern began taking summer boarders, and having a
sightly place with commodious grounds, the accommodations were soon
taxed to the utmost. In 1878 he gave up the boarding school and trans-
formed the school building to accommodate his summer guests.

Mr. Suffern has been a member of the Board of Education of Ivock-
land county. In 1882 he was elected School commissioner for Rockland
county, which office lie held for six years and was one of the most ener-
getic and zealous commissioners ever elected to this ofhce in the county.
He had also served as Auditor for the town of Ramapo.

In 1844 he married Catherine I. Conklin, of Ramsey, N. J., who
died August 5th, 1896. They have had three children, William, Ida
and Katie, all of whom died while young.

GLODE REQUA. It is probable that no family has been more hon-
orably or longer identified with the history of New York State than that
of which Mr. Requa is a member. Tlie ancestry originated in France
and was of Iliiguenot stock. After several generations had made their
home in Paris, the family i-emoved to Rochelle, but on accotmt of reli-
gious i>ersecution they were obliged to flee for their lives, and about 1690
they came to this country. They became loyal sulijccts of our govern-
ment and were especially noted for patriotism and bravery during the
War of the Revolution. Every Requa capable of bearing anus was a

BIOGRAPHICAL. 21

soldier in the war, and this fact is attested by tlie nioniinient in Sleepy
Hollow Cemetery, Tarryto^vn, erected to the memory of lievohitionary
heroes, which bears the names of eleven members of the family upon it.
Among these soldiers was C'apt. Glode Ileqiia, for whom onr subject was
named.

The son of James H. and ^farjiaret L. Requa, our subject was born
at Tappan, Rockland county, July !Hh, 1S3S. At the age of ten years
he left his home and for three years he resided at Tarryti>wn. Here and
at Tappan he acquired an ordinary education in the public schools.
When fourteen he went into the service of what was then knowm as the
New York and Eric Railroad, an<l three years later he was appointed
locomotive engineer, a very responsible position for one so young, he
being one of the youngest engineers in the country. While enq)loyed
in that capacity he handled the first steam injector used on a locomotive
in Amercia. In 1870 he i-otired from railroading and entered the lum-
ber business, succeeding Levi Sherwood at Mousey, Rockland countj',
where he at present resides. Mr. Reqiia was fonnerly President of the
Coming Lumber Company at Atlantic Highlands, in Monmouth county,
X. J., and Corning, X. Y., is now Vice President of the Painted Post
Lumber Company of Painted Post, N. Y., and also owns yards at Rani-
seys, ]Sr. Y., and at Monsey, N. Y. He is Vice-President of the First
National Bank of Spring Valley, N. Y.

September 22nd, ISC)?,, Mr. Requa married Sarah E. Sherwood,
daughter of Levi Sherwood, of Monsey, and they have one daughter,
Edith. A son, Edgar, died August 14th, 1901. Socially he stands high
in the Masonic order, being one of the oldest members in Rockland
county, both in lodge, chapter and commandery. He is a member of
Wawayanda Lodge, No. 315, of Piermont, Rockland Chapter of Nyack,
and Morton Commandery No. 104 of New York. He is also an hon-
orary member of the Oi'der of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
He is a man of generoTis impulses, a friend of the laboring men, whom he
assists to get homes for their families by giving them long credits. His
public spirit is shown in his liberal sujiport of all plans that will in any
way advance the interests of the village of Monsey or the county itself.
By strict attention to business and honorable dealing's, he has gained an
enviable reputation throughout the country, and is popular with his fel-
low citizens, who look upon him with respect. He stands among the

22 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

prominent men of the town of Kamapo, in the development ami pro-
gress of which he has long been an active factor.

THE HOUSE FA!MILY in Rockland connty are descendants of
Rev. AVilliani Ilonsc, a pioneer Baptist minister, who was located
in Orange connty. He was a man of strong faith and of great force of
character, and was a masterful fignre in those early days. He passed
through the many trials usual to pioneer preachers and was peacefully
laid to rest, leaving three sons: Henry, Rheinhart and Bradner, the
two fonner sons of his first wiio. He was twice married. His fii-st wife
was an Oblenis, of Clarksville Corners. Ilenrj- House, the eldest son,
carried on a grocery store in Nyack for a time. He afterwards removed
to Paskak, near the old ch\irch, where he died at the age of eighty. He
was twice married, first to Elizabeth Smith and after her death to
Martha Serven (widow). He left a family of four children, William S.,
who died young; Peter S., who died of the cholera, and at the same
time his young wife and babe also died of this epidemic. The two
remaining sons, John and Garret Oblenis, became well and favorably
known throughout the State. Garret Oblenis House was a captain for
many years upon the Smith line of steamboats. His chief commands
were the Isaac P. Smith and the Adolphi. Captain House is still living
in Ulster county at the age of eighty-nine. He has been twice married,
first to Anna Elizalxith Ilasbrouck, of Saddle River. His second wife
was Elizabeth DuBois and his children were: Wm. Saunders House, M.
D., who died in January, 1900; Henry Hasbrouck House, M. T)., and
Mary HeWitt House. Dr. William Saunders House was twice mar-
ried. His first Avife was Martha GriflSn, his second was Eleanor D. Rob-
inson. He left a family of three children, two sons and one daughter:
Gan-et O'Blenis, Jr., DeWitt Hasbrouck and Elizabeth Burgess.

Henry Ilasbrouck House, il. D., the second son, married Parmelia
Ver Valen, a daughter of a well known banker and capitalist of Haver-
straw, Richard Ver Valen. Dr. Henry Hasbrouck House died in April,
1896. He is survived by his wife and two sons: William Stetson, the
present Postmaster and druggist of Rockland Lake, and Clarence Ver
Valen, employed as cashier by a well known New York house.

Mary DeWitt, the third child of Captain House and the only daugh-
ter, mari'ied W^. D. Smith, and died in April, ISOO. She was the mother
of one child, Florence, who died verv vouiig.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 23

Mrs. O'Blenis, first wife of Rev. William House, of Clarksvillc Cor-
ners, had two sons, Henry and Rlieinliart. Second wife had several sons,
only one now living, Bradner, who is a Baptist minister.

ALLISON FAMILY. The ancestor of this family was John Alli-
son, a native of Hempstead, Queens county. Long Island, and one of
the company who purchased the Noi'th Moiety of the Kakiat patent in
1711), and founded the village of New Hempstead. He also later became
the owner of the larger part of the Dellai'te Patent, which now includes
the villages of Haverstraw and Grassy Point. He died in 1754, leaving
children: Joseph, 'John, Benjamin, William, Deborah, Elizabeth,
Mary, Hannah and Richard.

Joseph was born August 4th, 1722, and died January 2nd, 179G.
He married Elizabeth Benson Alarch 10th, 1S43. The children by this
marriage were Matthew, who died young; Joseph, Petei', Cornelius,
Hendrick, Matthew and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Allison, died December 12th, 17G7, and he
then married Elsie Parcells May 4th, 1769. The children by the second
marriage were Peter, Amos, Michael, Parcells, Richard, Elsie and Abra-
ham Titiis.

Peter Allison, son of -losepli, married Margaret, daughter of John
Siiffern and their children were: George G., John, Caroline, Antoin-
nette, Peter and Joseph.

George S. Allison was an officer in the War of 1812, in the regi-
ment of Colonel Washburn, and was stationed at Sandy Hook. At the
close of the war he came to Haverstraw, married Hannah Brewster, was
twice elected Member of Assembly, in 1828-'29, and for some years took
an active interest in military affairs, first as Colonel and afterwards as
Brigadier-General of ]\Iilitia in Rockland county. He was also Judge
of the Court of Common Pleas. Judge Allison's children are: Eugenia,
Brewster Jonas, Mary Margaret, George (who died young), and Amanda,
wife of Watson Tomkins.

Brewster Jonas Allison was born July 5th, 1821. He has been
principally engaged in farming and brick manufacturing and owns
extensive property interests in the town of Stony Point. He held the
office of Town Superintendent of Schools from 1848-1853, and was a
member of the Legislature in 1850, and served on the Committees on

24 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

TJnads anfl Bridges and Towns and Cities. lie is an Elder of the Pres-
byterian Clinreli. He married Anna Elizabeth Ilonsman November
10, 185G. Their children were: Cornelia IT., wife of Daniel M. Cof-
fin; Gcorjic S., who married Sarah, dangliter of Denton Fowler, and
William Brewster, who died in infancy.

Mrs. Allison died April 22, 1862. Mr. Allison's second wife was
Anna G. Andms. Their children are: Brew.s.tor J., Jr., Samnel S.
(died young), Amanda Tomkins, Sarah Andms, Calvin Tomkins, Anna
Mary, Hannah Brewster, Eugenia Knight, Balph Denison, Edward
Lane and Fanny Gertnide. Mr. Allison's second wife died Angnst 2,
1889.

GEOEGE R. ALLISOX was l)orn in Brooklyn, X. Y., and came to
Stony Point with his parents when a child. He Avas educated in the
])nblic scliiKils of Stony Point and at the Peckskill ^AFilitary Academy,
from whicli he graduated in 1S77. Immediately upon leaving school he
embarked in the brick-making business with Horatio X. Wood, and
to-day the firm of "Wood tt Allison is one of the most successful in the
IlTulson Valley.

In 1882 ilr. Allison married Sarah Fowler, dauglitcr of Denton
Fowler, of ITaverstraw. They have four chihh-cn: George S., Jr.,
Horatio Wood, Catherine and Lucretia. His wife, Sarah Fowler Alli-
son, died in March, 18!)fi. In lSf»9 ilr. Allison married Adelaide F.
Carson, a daughter of Alfred J. Carson, of Ilavcivstraw, and they have
one son, Brewster, Jr.

HENRY HAIIX lias been a leading merchant of the village of Hav-
erstraw for nearly a third of a century, as well as one of its most active
and enterprising citizens. There has hardly ]won a project for the pro-
motion of the general good of ITaverstraw during the last twenty-five
years with which this gentleman has not been prominently connected.
He has made money, not only in merchandizing, but in outside specula-
tions, and has invested in real estate and in enterprises generally con-
ducive to the commercial and industrial importance of the village. Mr.
Ilahn was one of the founders of the People's Bank, in 1887, and is
still its Vice President, and active manager. He is also the owner of
considerable valuable residence pro]x>rty in Ilaverstraw, and is one of
the most substantial men financially in the village.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 2S

Ilcnry Ilahn was born at Tomkins Cove, six miles from Ilaverstraw,
in 1848. His father, who was a Gennan by nativity, came to Haver-
straw in 1854, and engaged in the grocery business. The disa.sti'ons re-
sults to this locality of the Civil War, however, left his worldly st«re
greatly dejiloted, and the subject of this sketch when about thirteen years
of age, was obliged to abandon his studies and take a position in his
father's store. He was thus employed until 1863, when he went to
Xew York and worked for about one year in the old silversmith store
of William Gale & Son. In t'he early part of 1865 he again returned
to Haverstraw and worked for his father for about two years. In 1867
he started business on his own account and has continued in business
ever since.

Mr. Hahn has been an active member of the Haverstraw Fire Depart-
ment since 1865. He was also elected a Commissioner of Excise for
four terms of three years each, until the office was abolished by act of
the Legislature. ]\Ir. Ilahn has always been a consistent Democrat, and
in local politics, like everything else in which he has consented to inter-
est himself, he is a most effective worker. He was elected to member-
ship of the Village Board in 1896.

CHARLES E. POST was born at Saddle River, ?f. ,J., July 12,
1840. His education was acquired in the public schools of the neigh-
borhood. For a number of years after leaving school he assisted his
father on the farm and in 1873 purchased a part of the Abram Tallman
fann near Tallman's Station and devoted his time to farming until 1891,
when he built and equipped a green house and began raising plants and
shnibs for the New York market. He was the first to engage in the
violet growing business in this section. His business has gTadually
increased and expanded until at present he has several commodious build-
ings heated by steam and in every way equipped for the care and propa-
gation of flowering plants and shnibs.

In 1873 ]\Ir. Post was united in marriage with Anna, daughter of
John Tallman, of Tallmans. They have one child, C. Claude Post.

His father, Henry P. Post, was born at Saddle River, N. J., and was
a son of Joseph Post, who settled at Saddle River, where he took up a
tract of land and became one of the foremost business men of the place,
as well as a prominent politician. He owned and operated a tannery,
hotel, grocery, distillery and chair turning mill, besides managing his

26 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND CCJNTY.

large farm and filling the office of Justice of the Peace for a generation.
On tlie Jndge Post farm, now owned by Mr. Charles E. Post, stands
the whit/G oak tree at which the first man was wlupped under sentence
of law in Bergen county, X. J. The tree is still called the ".Tack Tree."
Henry P. Post married Margaret Valentine, daughter of Henry Val-
entine, a Ramsey manufacturer. They had six children, Ann M., Avife
of H. H. Goetciiius, of Walwick, X. J.; John II. Post, of Tallmans;
ilargaret L., wife of Floyd Gilderslecve, of Tallmans; Francis A., now
living in T^anuet; Charles E., of Tallmans, and William T., of Saddle
Eiver.

HENRY PARDON was born in Bardonia, Rockland county, N. Y.,
January 22iid, 1850. His father, John Bardon, was a native of Bavaria,
who settled here in 1849. From him this village derived its name. In
1875 the railroad from Nanuet to New City was built, and the Bardons
erected a store here the following year. This Inisiness, which was estab-
lished by John Bardon, who died September 1st, 1894, and his son,
Henry Bardon, has been conducted for many years under the sole direc-
tion of Henry Bardon. It has done a most extensive business. Henry
Bardon was appointed Postmaster in March, 1888, and has since held
that office. He was married in 1879 to Louisa Van Nostrand, a daugh-
ter of Bennet Van Nostrand. Henry Bardon has always evinced a great
interest in the welfare of Bardonia, where he has extensive property in-
terests. Besides his general store, he owns and lives in a fine residence
which he erected in 1895. He owns the cider mill and a half-dozen
other places here. He is a member of the F. and A. j\I., and a charter
member of Teutonia German Benevolent Association, of which he has
ser\'ed as treasurer for the pa.st nineteen years. For the past twenty-two
years Mr. Bardon has served as inspector of elections, and he is a whole-
souled, generous, wide-aAvake business man, who has a host of friends
in Rockland county.

FLORENT VERDIN, a son of Nicholas Verdin, was born at Alsace,
Octolter 13th, 1815. He came to America and first settled in Cincin-
natti, and afterward became a member of the finn of Verdin & Week,
manufacturers of candles and oils. He remained there nine years, then
moved to Now York city in 1850 and fonned a co-partnership A\Tth R.
G. Mitchell in the same line at the corner of Fourth street and First

BIOGRAPHICAL. 27

avenue. In 1S()3 lie bought a fann of seventy acxes at New City, in the
town of Clarlvstown; by subsequent piirchases the farm was enlarged to
112 acres; in 1874 he sokl his interests in New York and moved on the
farm. He was interested in having the Nanuet and New City R. R.
built; he furnished the means for its construction and equipment and
was Pi-esident and Director of the comjiany until the transfer of the
road to the New Jersey and New York R. R. Co. He also owns about
fiOO acres of land in Rockland county, a tlour and feed mill at New City,
and was engaged in the brick business at Havei-straw. Florent Verdin
was one of the most enter]>rising and ]iromiuent men in the county. He
now makes his home with his son, ilr. Joseph T. Verdin, of New City.

JOSEPH T. VERDIN, of New City, was bom in Cincinatti,, Ohio,
December 8th, 1849. He attended the schools of New York city and
also a boarding school at TaiTytown, N. Y. After leaving school Mr.
Verdin took an active part in the management of his father's large estate
and for the past twent}' years has had entire control of it, his father
being incapacitated through ill healtli and ajiproaching old age. Mr.
Verdin was united in niai-riage February 14th, 1874, to Miss Char-
lotte K., daughter of Thomas W. Rose, of Stony Point, N. Y. They
have tlu'ee children: Florent, born June IH, 1870 (who was manned
to Miss Carrie McKeiizie and has one child, Florent Eugene, born in
September, 1001); Eugene R., born July 4th, 1881, and Theo. F., born
October 31st, 188.5. Both Mr. and Mrs. Verdin are members of the
New City Methodist Church, of which Mr. Verdin is both Trustee and
Treasurer. In their beautiful home at New City, surnmnded l)y every-
thing that cultured taste and aflliience can provide, Mr. and Mrs. Ver-
din reside respected and esteemed throughout the county and wherever
known.

J. M. HASEROUCK, M. D. The Ha.sbrouck family is ai French-
Huguenot origin and descended from Abraham Hasbrouck, who was a
native of Calais. His father moved to Gennany with his two sons, Jean
and Abraham, and a daughter. Here they lived for several years and in
l(!7r) Al)ram Hasbrouck came to America with several of his acquaint-
ances, landing in Boston in July, 167.5. From Abram Hasbrouck through
three g(>nerations Dr. J. M. Hasbrouck, of West Haverstraw, is a direct
descendant. He was born October 22nd, 1862, educated in the public

28 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

schools, TJooklaiul College and eventually o-radnated from Belloviie
Medical College, N. Y., class of 'S4. Dr. Ilasbrouck commenced the
practice of his profession in Ulster comity, but after six months located
at his old home in West Ilaverstraw. He has become prominent in his
profession and enjoys a large practice. lie has been President of the
village for the past six years, has served as Treasurer of Rockland county
for one term, is Trea.snrer of the TJockland County ^Medical Society, a
member of the N^. Y. State Medical As.sociation, and of all the leading
social and benevolent societies, such as Masons, Odd Fellows and For-
esters. His father and grandfather were both prominent physicians.
His brother, Hon. G. D. V>. Hasbrouck, is Republican State Committee-
man for Ulster county, and in 1892 was appointed by Governor Odell
a Judge of the Court of Claims; the tenn of his office is six yeare and the
annual salaiw $5,000. G. D. B. Hasbrouck was also Dejuity Attorney-
General under the term of Attorney-General Hancock.

GEORGE WILLIAil HILL, Mathematician, Clarkstown, was born
in New York city March 3d, 183S. He acquired his primary educa-
tion in the public schools and was afterward prepared for college. He
then entered Rutgers, from which he was graduated in 1859. Mr. Hill
was then for thirty yeai-s in the employ of the navy department as math-
ematician, and was located at Cambridge, Mass. In 1892 he retii-ed to
his country home in West Nyack, where he now (1902) lives, employing
his leisure in solving intricate problems and writing for scientific pur-
poses. Since 1859 ilr. Hill has been. the aiTthor of more than eighty
papei's and works on astronomy, whicli are recognized as mathematical
authorities. Among his latest papers issued we note those u]>on the
''Normal Positions of Ceres," Ptolemy's Problem, Secular Peturbations
of the Planets, On the use of the Sphere, Conic in Astronomy, etc., etc.
Possessing a wealth of knowledge upon mathematical and astronomical
matters, gained by extensive study, he has j)laced his precious researches
.so as to best benefit mankind. Jlr. Hill possesses the largest private
library in the county. It c-ontains about 3,000 volumes and is of ines-
timable value. Deep in science and erudition, a delver into problems
which treat of rpialities and magnitudes beyond the knowledge of ordi-
nary individuals, ]\Ir. Hill occupies a position l>oth interesting and
impressive.

BIOGRAPHICAL. > 29

JOHN IIEXIxY HILL, artist, Clarkstowu, was born at the oltl home
111 West Xvack in 1S:3!). He inlierits a talent that with study and
application has placed him in the front rank of the leading landsca^x'
artists of this country, and gained for him the highest eulogies from the
great minds of the M'orld. John Kuskin WTote him away liack in
Augiist, 1881: "You have a very great art gift." IIow great this gift
is one has only to view one of his etchings or paintings to realize.

The Hill family, of Clarkstowu, is to-day represented Ijy George
William Hill, John Henry Hill and Miss' Emma Hill. They all
reside in West Nyack, upon property purchased by their grandfather,
John Hill, early in 1837. John Hill came to this country from Eng-
land in 1810 and scttk'd first in Philadelphia, but shortly afterwards
moved to J^ew York city and purchased a summer home at West Nyack.
He was a celebrated engraver and became widely knowai. John AV. Hill,
his son, who was father of the present family, was an artist of interna-
tional reputation.

THE SHERWOOD FAMILY. The name of Sherwood occurs in
old documents, rosters of patriot soldiers fighting for, and afterward, in
later years, defending the liberties and unity of these United States,
since the very earliest days of which we find any record.

Among those who, in defiance of Britain's power, on July 11th,
1775, signed the "Association" and "published the same Ix'fore all spec-
tators," calling thein to ^vitness that the signers would "never consent
to taxation \vithout being fully represented." The first was Isaac Sher-
wood, whose name heads the long list of names a2ipended. Of those who
in later years, during the Civil War, went from this county to defend
their country from disruption, was Corjioral William T-,. Shcnvood, Nine-
ty-fifth Xew York, formed October l.")tli, 1801, was later promoted to
a Captaincy and served until 1805, July 10th. But we are more partic-
ularly interested in the family of Sherwoods whose remote progenitor
was Jonathan Sherwivod, of Williamstown, Mass., in 1757, and wlio was
an active participant in the Revolutionary War, fighting bravely and
with distinction with the Green Mountain Boys, under Stark, at Ben-
nington and elsewhere (where the Hessians were liu<ldled together and
shot down like mid ducks), and whose brother was killed at the Battle
of Oriskanv. There were numerous other lateral branches of the Slier-

30 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Avood family, doubtless all having tlieir origin in the common stock, hut
it must suffice for our purpose to follow this main branch that was early
transplanted into the kindly soil of old Rockland.

Jonathan Sherwood's wife was Martha Bruce, and they had children:
Lucy, Anuis, Olive, James, Mary, Isaac, Marshall, Ilulda, Melissa and
Daniel Asbuiy. James married Martha, a daughter of John S. Gurnee,
March 17th, 1811, by whom he had children: Harriet A., born March
lyth, 1815, and who man'ied George B. Blauvelt; John N., burn July
y3rd, 1817, who married Phoebe Bulson, of Stony Point, and is
now dead.

Jonathan W., born July 26th, 1825; married Almira, daughter of
Josiah Concklin, and died leaving no children, Feltruary 2Gth, 1SG5.
Elias G., bom September 11th, 1827; nian-ied Elizabeth, daughter of
Josiah Conklin, by whom he has children: Martha Elma ("Martha"
after her great-grandmother), wife of Alvah Cooper, of Iloboken, N. J.,
and who has one son, Rollin A., a lad of about fourteen; Ida S., wife
of George Krouse, Passiiic, N. J., who has a small daughter, Elizabeth
Helen; Jonathan W., counsellor at law, who man-ied Anna Tallmau,
by whom he has a young son, Harold T. ; James E., who married Etta
Snider, daughter of Jacob Snider, by whom he has three young boys,
George J., J. LeRoy and James E., and resides in Suffern.

Going liack now to the second generation of three boys and six girls,
the children of Jonathan, of Willianisport, ]\Iass., as above named, we
tinil 110 trace of the marriage or subsequent career of Lucy, Annis, Glive
ilary or Huldah, except that one of these man-ied a man named Green
and was the mother of a large family, some of whom are dead. This
branch scarcely came in touch with the Rockland county Sherwoods, the
descendants of James, the Greens, living somewhere in ilichigan,
whence they are occasionally heard from. Melissa, the youngest daugh-
ter of Jonathan, man-ied in Massachusetts a man named Jordan, and
their son Henry came to this county and married, living near SufPern up
to the time of his death, and leaving one son, Brewster. Isaac Marshall
settled in Chicago, where, through fortunate purchases of real estate,
at the right time and in other transactions, he rose to wealth and distinc-
tion, his sons holding offices of tnist in the municipality. lie reared a
large family of sons and daughters, Daniel Asbury, the youngest of
Jonathan's children, being bom almost a generation later than the eldest

BIOGRAPHICAL. 31

ones, settled ucar St. Johus, !N^. Y., and had children: John Bruce
("Bruce" after his mother's maiden name), who lives at Amsterdam, N.
Y., ^\•here he has greatly prosjxjred from a worldly point of view, and
has two girls, Blanche and Mabel. 2. Lucy, in connection with whose
history there is a bit of romance. Living at her father's house at St.
John's, N. Y., there came into her life Kichard W. Blauvelt, of this
county, son of her cousin Harriet (daughter of James), who as above
stated, married George B. Blauvelt. Kichard W. went to St. Johns,
visiting and these two branches of the Shenvood family (after three and
four generations resjiectively) united. Their home was near Viola,
where Richard AV. died in 1899, leaving a widow and two sons, Charles
A. and James S. 3. Carrie, who man-ied Schuyler Vetter, and made
her home in Central New York, and has one daughter.

Harriet A., who man'ied George P. Blauvelt, and whose second son,
Richard W., married his mother's cousin; Lucy Sherwood, was left a
widow thirty or forty years ago, and Harriet herself died about 1894.
The Blauvelt home was near Richard Blauvelt's foundry and plow shops,
where for many years, from 1830, all the plows used in this section
were manufactured. There was also a saw and grist mill that antedated
the foundry, having been ei'ected long before the Revolution by Aaron
Blauvelt, grandfather of Richard, who came from Tappan. After Rich-
ard's day the mills were run by his son Edward, who, it is said, was the
first in all this section to use hard coal, much to the amazement of his
neighbors, who "reckoned" he'd have to bum wood to keep the Wack
stones hot enough to fuse the iron. Harriet A. Blauvelt had three sons
and one daughter, as follows: 1. John Le\vis, born January 23rd, 1839;
married Lucinda Gurnee, lives at Monsey, and has one son, George A.,
counsellor-at-law, with offices at 229 Broadway, New York. There were
two daughters also, who died in infancy. 2. Richard W., bom Feb-
ruary 27, 184:4, and who married Lucy Sherwood, as already spoken of.
3. ILmnah Rel>ecca, born May 2nd, 1841, and deceased for seven or
eight years; married David D. Fox, of Suffern, and left two sons, David
J., a civil engineer of great ability, now in the Klondyke, and Gef)rge,
who is still a youth. 4. James S., bom January 20, 1848, who died at
his mother's home in 1867, at the age of nineteen.

James Sherwood's second child, John N., who has been already
noted, lived at Stony Point and had three children: 1. John N., Jr.,

32 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

who married Miss Goldsmith, lived at Haverstraw and was engaged in
the clothing Inisiness up to his death, leaving two eliildren: John, who
lives in the family residence, and Lucille. 2. Edward B., a dentist in
Ossining, and has one boy. 3. Adelia.

James Shenvood's son, Jonathan AV., who married Almira Concklin,
had by lier one boy, Everett, who died when one year old, at the same
time as his father, about thirty-five years ago. Following now the career
of Eev. James Sherwood, we find him always a citizen of prominence,
a faithful minister of the Gospel, full of good works. lie continued
on the Haverstraw circuit for one or two years after his marriage, then
purchased the farm which is now the home of his son, Elias G., and
passed the remainder of his life as a farmer, continuing, however, the
relation of local preacher.

It was through his effort that "Wesley Chapel" was founded. This
chapel came to be known as "Shenvood's Ghurch" and the neighborhood
long since was given the name of Sherwoodville. James Shenvood was
a good man of business and ])ros]iered greatly. He directed a fulling
mill on the east branch of Mahwah Brook, which ran through his
demesne, and operated it for many years. About 1846 this was' con-
verted into a cotton mill, where batting was made up to 1880, and this
business was canied on by his son, Elias G., the present occupant of the
old homestead, until about 1880, when all that class of business went
South. This mill, originally a grist mill, was erected in 1705 and was
one of the first three built in Kamapo Township.

Rev. James Sherwood died April 26, 1866, aged about seventy-seven
years, and his remains lie in the little cemetery of Wesley Chaix'l, which
still stands as the most worthy monument to the memory of a good and
nseful man. The homestead comprises lot No. 9 of the Kakiat jiatent.
There is also an extensive tract on the Morris Patent, adjoining Kakiat.
The quaint old house of James's day has given way to a roomy and snib-
stantial residence of more modern character, erected in 1860. The old
mill still stands as the sole landmark and reminder of a once fli>urishing
but now departed industry.

JAilES E. SHERWOOD was born in the old Sherwood homestead,
Sherwoodville, June 12th, 186!). His education was acquired in the
Thirteenth street public school of New York city, the Friends' S<Hiinnry
and Packard's Business College. After leaving school he devoted his

BIOGRAPHICAL. 33

time til fanuiiin- and dairyin,!;', ami at tlic same time dealt in agricultural
imi)lements until ISlIu, when lie opened a grain and feed establislinieut
and carnage repository, whieli lie conducted about four years in Suiiern.
The year following lie removed his family to SufFern, where he has since
resided.

Mr. Sherwood has served as Superintendent of the Poor of Rockland
county and Trustee of the Village of SufFern. He is a member of llam-
apo Lodge, Xo. oSU, F. and A. M. of Sutl'ern and of Volunteer Hose Co.
JiTo. 1. In 1890 he married Ella Snider, daughter of John Jacob Snider,
of Mousey, N. Y. They have three children, George J., J. LeRoy and
James E.

ROBERT J. DAVIDSOK was born in the town of Blooming
grove, Orange county, X. Y., June ISth, 1850. Living near Craig-
ville, he attended the public school of that place until about fourteen
years of age, when he took the i)osition of clerk in the village store,
where he remained three years, and then came to Ramapo in the same
line of business. lu 1872 he accepted a position with the Ramapo
Wlieel and Foundry Co., of Ramapo, N". Y., as shipping clerk. He held
this position only a short time, when he was advanced to bookkeeper and
later Ijecanie coiTespondence clerk.

In 1881 the Ramapo Iron Works Company elected him to the office
of Secretary. He, however, continued to till his position with the Ram-
apo "Wheel and Foundry Company until 1883, when he resigned that
position and took an active part in the control and management of the
Ramapo Iron Works, as Secretary of the company.

In 1S7(J he was united in marriage to Miss Catherine M. Schurermau
of Brooklyn, N. Y. They have had seven children: Eleanor S., Mary
E., J. Edgar, Florence and Robert J., Jr.. One .son, Oeorge F., was
drowneil in ISIM, aged fourteen years. They also lost a daughter, Ber-
tha, who died in 1S90, at the age of eight.

George S. Davidson, the father of the subject of this sketch, was
a native of Ireland, Down county. In 1841 he came to America and set-
tled in New York city, where for four years he conducted a soap and
candle establishment, removing in 1848 to Orange county. From 1848
until his death, in March, 1899, he resided in Orange county, following
the pursuit of fanning.

34 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

SAMUEL AYEES, of Nyack, is a. native of Eui-laiul. His par-
ents came to America wlien he was three years of age and settk'd iu New
York city. Here after receiving a common school education, he learned
the trade of boat building. In 1876 he founded the business in New
York and in 1S92 took his sou, James C. Ayers, into the business as
jiartner. The business was moved in 1803 from Fifty-sixth street. South
Brooklyn, to its present location in Upper Nyack. All sorts of river
craft, sTich as steam, naphtha and electric yachts, launches, sail, row,
yawl, lifeboats, pleasure and fishing boats are made by this finu, and
building and repairing are their si:)ecialties. Many very celebrated boats
have been turned out by Samuel Avers & Son, such as the Arrow, for
Charles 11. Flint, of New York; Utopia, for John Jacob Astor; Elida,
for E. Burgess Warren; Wolverine, for J. Lorillard, etc. Samuel Ayers
has been a resident of Nyack since 1803. He is a mendjer of the Royal
Arcanum and of the Masonic fraternity and was a school trustee in Kam-
apo for three years. The junior member of the firm, James C. Ayers, is
a native of Brooklyn. He is an Odd Fellow, a Knight of Pythias and be-
longs to the Tappan Zee Yacht Club, Nyack. Samuel Ayers has a fam-
ily of five sons.

ROBERT W. McCRK\I)Y, Sloatsburg, was liorn at Belfast, in
the north of Ireland, October 31st, 1802. His parents who are still liv-
ing in Belfast, were both of Scotch parentage, his father James ilc-
Cready, was born in 1830, and his motlier, Mary Mcllveen McCready, in
1844. His schooling was obtained in the Belfast public schools, after
wliich he entered the Building Department of the Government School of
Art, from which he received his examination certificate in 1882. He
then entered the employ of llarland tl' AVolf, the worldwide famous ship
builders of Belfast; he remained with them one year, receiving from
them his c-ert.ificat« as joiner. In 1884 he came to America, locating at
Fall River, Mass., where he was employed as carpenter one year. He
then returned to Belfast for one year and in 1S8C again laiuled in Amer-
ica, this time iu New York. The following year he accepted a position
with Meade & Taft as caipcnter in Tuxedo, N. Y., and two yeai-s from
that time he formed a copartnership with William ^I. Fincli, a fellow
workman, for the purpose of can-ying on a general contracting and build-
ing business, and thus was formed the extensive establishment of Mc-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 35

Cready & Fiucli of Tuxedo Park. Tliey employ during the l)uildiiig sea-
sou betweeu SOU and 4U0 uieu, all skilled uiecliauies, aud the business is
constantly increasing. They have erected many beautiful cottages and
residences in this Park and they are today recognized as the leading es-
tablishment of the kind in Tuxedo Park, the sununer home of the N^ew
York elite. In 1889 he was united in nianiage with Mary Finch, daugh-
ter of John Finch, of Sloatsburg, N. Y. They have two children : Olive
and Kobert Ilalsey. Mr. MeCready is a thirty-second degi-ee Mason,
in both the New York and Scottish rites, and a mendjcr of the Mystic
Sclirine. ITe has in his iwssession a certificate, given his grandfather,
John Mcllveen, as Master in the Masonic Lodge of Ireland dated 1814.
Ho is also a member of Ramajxi Lodge of Red Men and the Rechabites
of London, England, and until liw joined the ranks of employers was a
member of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners of Lon-
don. Mr. McCroady while a business man of Tuxedo is a resident of
Sloatsburg, Rockland county.

TERRENCE MAGUIRE, senior member of T. Maguire & Sons
and Maguire & Lynch, brick manufacturers at Ilaverstraw, was born in
County Cavan, Ireland, November 22nd, 1821). lie grew to manhood
in the land of his birth, but not feeling satisfied in establishing his jier-
manent home there, he came to America! when in his twentieth year, ar-
riving in New York city May 22nd, 1848. Soon afterward he came to
Ilaverstraw, where he had friends, and here he secured work in the yards
of John AV. Gillies and John Rategain, who were partners in the brick-
making business. In remuneration for his services he received $12 per
month and his board. The firm manufactiu-ed about two million of
brick, and employed about thirty men. At that time there wei-e only
fifteen yards in this section of the county, and the entire output was not
more than forty million, while now in the same field four hundred mil-
lion of brick are manufactiu-ed annually. The old Nye & Coxsackie ma-
chines and others equally unsatisfactory were then used, but are now rel-
egated to obscurity. Mr. Maguire was employed in various capacities for
four yeai"s, when he was made second hand, a position next that of the
foreman, and one of considerable resiwnsibility. In 1859 he became
foreman for Benjamin Cosgrove, whose yards occupied the present site
of the yards of Ronan & Scott. Seven years were spent in that place,
after which he became foreman for M. A. Archer, remaining with that

36 HISTOKY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

gentlenian the principal part of eigliteeii years, or until 1875, with the
exception of two years spent as foreman for C. Milbm-n on the yard now
operated by Mrs. Malley. He then rented the Eckersou yards, which he
operated for twenty years, or until the spi-ing of 1895. In partnership
with Charles Lynch, Mr. Magaiire is opening brickyards on the estate
of M. A. Archer, and ^\^th his sons, as T. Magnire & Sons, he is oper-
ating the Lilbnrn property, consisting of an old yard into which, how-
ever, he has pnt new material. During his long connection with the
brick indnstry be has gained a comprehensive idea of the business, and
is thoroughly informed reg'ai'ding every detail of the work. It has been
his ]iolicy to employ men personally, and oversee the shipping of his
prodiicts on his barges and schooners. For about five years his annual
output was six million, but a portion of the time, when he employed one
hundred and twelve men the output was from twelve to thirteen million.
His success is the result not of hick, but of a thorough knowledge of
the business, honorable dealings \vitli all, and untiring perseverance.
Aside from the brick business he has been interested considerably in real
estate and has improved a number of lots by erecting substantial dwell-
ing lionses. In Febmaiy, 1848, Mr. Magnire, just before leaving Ireland,
was iniited in niamage to Miss Mary Ann Carney, who, like himself,
is a faithful member of the Catholic Church. They lost several children
in early life, and of those who attained maturity we note the fi>llowing:
Peter J. who was interested in the brick business with his father and was
superintendent of the yards, died unmarried in June, 1892, at the age
of twenty-eight; Mary Ann remained with her parents until her death
in the summer of 1894, at the age of thirty-five; Thomas is an energetic
business man, a member of the finn of T. Maguire & Sons; and Ellen C.
mari'ied David M. Butler, a brick manufacturer, and they and their five
cliildren, Stacia, Terrence, Adelaide, Catherine and A^eronica, live witli
her father. Politically Mr. Maguire is a Democrat, loyal to that jiarty
under all circumstances. For twenty years he has served as a member of
the School Board, of which for three terms he has Ijeen President, and
not a little to his instrumentality is due the growth of the schools of this
place. For three terms he has served as Trustee of the village. He has
been interested in all matters affecting the prosperity of the place, and
is a loyal American. Ten-ence Maguire has operated a brick yard with
Charles Lynch on the Reid property for five years, under the firm name
of ilaguire & Lynch, but Mr. Lynch having died in September, 1901,

BIOGRAPHICAL. 37

TeiTanoe Magnire now operates the yard individnallv. T. lilagiiire is
at present Treasiirer of Union Free School Xo. 3 of Haverstraw.

TOMIvIXS FAMILY. Mieah Tomkins, the ancestor of tliat branch
of the Tomkins family which is now settled in Stony Point, came from
Milford, Conn., May 21, 1660, and was one of the founders of the city
of Newark, N. J. Later the family moved to Orange, N. J., where
Enos Tomkins was born. Enos Tomkins married Sarah Condit, was the
father of nine chiklren, Elias, David, Ambrose, Daniel; Enos, Condit,
Calvin, Sarah (wife of .Tacol) Stagg), Lydia (wife of Chas. Dean), and
Eleanor (wife of John Fox). Calvin Tomkins was born January 31st,
1793. Until the age of 15 he remained with his father; he then went
as a boatman running between Newark and New York; he eventually
became the owner of the freighting business and also established a wood
and coal yard. At that time the coal business was in its infancy and ho
supplied the principal part of the anthracite consumed in Newark. In
1834 Mr. Tomkins came to Stonj- Point and bought a small tract of land
(or rather rock), near the present railroad station. He established lime
kilns and ship]>ed cargo after cargo of limestone to Newai'k; later he,
with his brother Daniel, bought another available lime quarry in the vi-
cinity. In 1850 he established cement works at Rondout, N. Y., which
produced 1100 barrels a day. lie later established the Albert Manufac-
turing Company in New Brunswick, controlling the finest gypsum de-
posits along the Atlantic seaboard. Mr. Tomkins came to Tomkins Cove
to reside in 1858. In 1875 he erected at an expense of $22,000 the pres-
ent union school building, which was a noble work. Previous to this he
built the Methodist Chui'ch at a cost of $6,000, the church lot having
been given hj his brother Daniel Tomkins. In the War of 1812 Mr.
Tomkins was a soldier in the company under Captain .Toel Harrison in
Colonel Frelinghuysen's regiment, which was stationed at Sandy Hook.
Mr. Tomkins married in 1818, Esther, who died, and he was married a
second time to Eliza Parish in 1850. His children are: "Walter, Sarah
(wife of James G. Lindsey), Phoebe (wife of James Hill), .Lane (wife of
Heni-y T. Lincoln), Laura (wife of George S. Wood), Joseph T. and
Cornelius T. He died May 18th, 1800, in his ninety-eighth year.

WALTER TOMKINS, grandson of Calvin Tond<ins, was bom at
Orange, N. J., July 8, 1861. Ho received a liberal education in the Or-

38 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ange schools and at, Cornell University. After leaving tlie University
lie entered the office of the Tonikins Cove Stone Co., was soon after
elected Vice-President of the company and npon the death of Calvin
Tonikins, May 18th, IS DO, was elected President, which office he still
continues to hold.

WALTER T. SEAKTXG, of Tomkins Cove, was horn in Tonikins
Cove, ]^. Y., July 13, lS4fi. He attended the public schools and the
Peekskill Military Academy, and then accepted a ]>osition with the Tom-
kins Cove Stone Company. lie has ever sinc-e that time (18G4) remained
with this company, and has been its Secretary since 1S70. Mr. Searing
has been a member of Stony Point Lodge, No. 313, F. and A. M., of
Haverstraw, for thirty-three years. His family consists of four children,
three daughters and one son.

JAIMES J. GRADY, Postmaster at Tomkins Cove, is a native of
that village. Ills parents settled at Kingston, Ulster county, N. Y.,
alxjut 1850, and later moved to Tomkins Cove. Upon leaving school
he engaged with a local firm as clerk, and afterward learned the trade of
a ship carpenter. December 23, 1803, Mr. drady was appointed Post-
master by President Cleveland, and has since retained that office. Mr.
Grady has been clerk of tlie Board of Education for twenty-two yeais.
He has been choirmaster and organist of the Catholic churches at Tnm-
kins Cove and Ch-assy Point for the past ten years, and is always ready to
aid any undertaking to promote the public welfare. He is also conduct-
ing a stationary store and a general insurance agency. His insurance
l)ranch controls most of tlie luisiness in the vicinity. Li 1895 ilr. (irady
founded the Tomkins Cove Free Circulating Library at his private ex-
pense, and continues it to the advantage and pleasure of the community.
The library contains eight hundred volumes and is located in the
postoffioe.

LOUIS J. LEDIGER was born in New York city December 1st,
1854. He received his education in the Parochial school of St. Nicholas
and Do LaSalle Institute of New York. In 1864 he came to Elauvelt
with his parents, and in 1867 entered the employ of his fatlier as clerk.
His father, George M. Lediger, was a native of Gennany, canu' to New
York in 1840 at the age of eighteen years, and engaged in the baking

BIOGRAPHICAL. 39

business, wliicli lie conducted until 18fi4, when lie sold out and came to
Blauvelt with his brother-in-law, Mr. Edebohls, and established the gro-
cery business now owned and con(luct<^d by his son TvOuis J. He died in
1809. His wife, Regina Bruell Lediger, died in 1901. l^ouis J. Ltnliger
began his business life as clerk for his father and uncle in 18G7 and
served in that capacity until March 1st, 188(i, when lie purchased the
business. In 1891 he was apiwinted Postmaster at lilauvelt under Pres-
ident Harrison, and has held that office continuously up to the present
time. He has l>een a member of the Board of Health about three yeai-s.
Mr. Lediger was also appointed a commissioner by the C'oxu't in 1896 to
take testimony and appraise the value of the Nyack Water Works Com-
pany's plant.

ROBERT WOLEE was born September 12, 18,51, at Falls Village,
Conn. He attemled the pul>lic schools of that place until thirteen years
of age, when he took a ]iosition with the Ames Iron Works of Falls Vil-
lage. He was with this concern six years and for a part of that time
was working on wrought iivm cannon. He assisted in making the first
cannon of that description used in the battles of the Rebellion. Later
he was employed in the construction department of the works, where he
remained some four years, working under his father, who had charge of
that branch of the works at that time. In the fall of 1872 Mr. Wolfe
came to the village of Ilillburn, which at that time could boast of but
one house. In 1874 he accepted a jiosition with the Ramapo Wheel &
Foundry Co., as superintendent of the building of cars, which position
he occupied seven years. In 1881 the Ramapo Iron Works Company
was organized and he was offered the position of superintendent of con-
struction, which he still holds. Mr. Wolfe has su])er\n.*d the erection
and construction of the entire plant of the Ramapo Iron Works, which
are alone responsible for the existence of Hillburu as a village. He is
also foreman of the car shop. Mr. Wolfe is President of the village of
Hillbvirn, having been elected on the Republican ticket in the spring of
1901 and re-elected in 1902. He is Chairman of the Republican County
committee, and has served as member of the Congressional committee.
In 1873 Mr. Wolfe was iinited in maiTiage to Margaret Carlough of Pat-
erson, N. J., who died .Tune 30th, 1901. He has one son, Robert Milton
Wolfe, a gTaduat(> of the Baltimore Medical College, who has recently
begun the practice of his profession at South Nonvalk, Conn; and one

40 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

daughter, Georgianna. William Wolfe, Rolx^rt's father, was born at
Claverick, Columbia county, as was also his mother, Margaret (Hall)
Wolfe. They moved to Falls Village in early life, where they lived at
the time of their death. The father died in 1SS4, at the age of 79 veal's;
the mother in 1891, aged 89 years.

EDA\T:N LYDEC'TvEE, of the firm of Lydeeker Bros., of Ts^yack,
N. Y., is a native of Kocklaud county, born at CUarkstown, September 3,
1842. His first schooling was obtained in the public schools of that
place, following which he attended Rutherford's Academy and took pri-
vate lessons in Bergen county, X. J. After leaving school he was em-
ployed by his father in his C'larksville store until 1861, when he became
a partner in the business, which they conducted until 1868. He then
engaged in the manufacture of shoes and two years from that time re-
tired from that line and accepted a position in the New York Custom
House, which he held eighteen years. Mr. Lydecker then moved to Or-
angeburgh, and the follo\\'ing two years was eiigagexl in fanning. In
1891, with his brother Cornelius H. Lydecker he purchased the gi-ocery
business of Lydecker it AVool at Nyack, IST. Y., which they have since
very successfully conducted under the firm name of Lydecker Bros. In
1872 Mr. Lydecker married Margaret A. Blauvelt, daughter of Gilbert
D. BlauA'elt, of Orangeburgh, N. Y. They have one son, Wallace B.,
who is a graduate of Princeton University, class of 1901, and is now
taking up the study of law in the New York Law School. Mr. Lydecker
is a member of the Board of Supervisors, representing the town of Or-
aiigetown. His father, James I. Lydecker, was a native of Rockland
county, as were all his ancestors for generations. The original stock lie-
ing one of the early settlers in the county, came in the early part of the
seventeenth century from Holland and located in the section of Orange
coimty which has since been set aside as Rockland county. IMr. Ly-
decker was a member of the Board of Trustees of District Xo. 7 of the
town of Orangetown, and has always taken an interest in educational
iiiatt<>rs. He has long been identified ^vith the Reformed Church of Tap-
pan, and has been treasurer and a member of the consistory.

RITTLEGE I. ODELL, of Tomkins Cove, was horn in Tarrytown,
N. Y., duly ."^O, ISfiO. He attended the ]inl)lic scliools of Tarrytown and
the Irving Institute, after which he entered the employ of tlie Tomkins

BIOGRAPHICAL. 41

Covp Stone Company as clerk. In tlii'ee or four years ho was made out-
side manager, and was elected Vice-President of the company in 1890.
Mr. Odell married Miss Anna Sterling Tomkins, a daughter of Walter
Tomkins, and their family consists of two children, Walter Tomkins
Odell and Margaret Iiwiug Odell.

JOITX OLDFIELD, Assistant SuiJorintendent of the Print Works
at Garneiwille, is a natiye of East Fishkill, Dutchess county, N. Y. lie
receiyed a public school ediication and early in life entered the print
works at' AVappingers Falls to learn the dyeing branch of the business
and in time became one of the most successful dyers engaged in that line
of business. In 1873 he was appointed boss dyer at the Garnerville print
works and in 1000 Assistant Superintendent. During his residence in
this yicinity Mr. Oldfield has filled many public positions of tnist and
responsibility, chief among which are those of Trustee of the village for
the past eighteen years, and President of the Board of Education for Dis-
trict No. 3. lie was niai'ried to Miss Ellen Cushman, and their family
consist.s of three children: Bertha, Harriet and John, Jr.

KELTBEN GRANT RIGGS— Born November 21, 18(54, at Viola,
]Sr. Y., came with his parents when a child Uy Suffern. He attended the
SufPern schools, the Mountain Institute and later entered Packard's Biis-
iness College of New York, from which he graduated in 1885. After
leaving Packard's College he was engaged at clerical work in the New
York office of the Erie P. P., which position he held for some six years.
In 1801 he returned to Suffern and went in as partner with his father in
the Eureka Hotel, remaining as such until the death of his father, No-
vember 2fith, 1807, at which time he became sole propi-ietor. He has
always been a Pepublican and served three years on the Republican
County Committee. ]\lr. Riggs was one of the first auditors of the town
of Ramapo. He has serA-ed as chairman of the Board of Water Commis-
sioners of Suffern and is now President of the village, being the first Re-
publican President elected since its incorporation. He is also a member
of the Board of Education. He was Vice-President of the Building and
Loan Association, President of the Suffern Volunteer Ilose Co. No. 1,
and Past ^Faster of Ramapo Ix)dge, No. 589, F. and A. M. He is also
a member of Eureka Chajiter, No. 287, R. A. M., and the Hudson River

42 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Commandery, No. 35, of Newbiirgh ; a Director in Kockland Electric
Co., and in Monntain Spring AVater Co. He is a mombor of Mecca
Temple ilystic Shrine and is also a member of the American Mechanics
and the Ramapo tril>e of Red Men, of whicli he i.« Past Sachem. Oc-
tober 26, 1S93, he married iliss Mary Irene Ken*, danghter of Hon.
John KeiT, of Harrison, N. J.; they have one child, Alarv Francis. Ren-
ben Riggs, the father of the snbjcct of this sketch, enlisted as a private
in the Civil War, was promoted to Lientenant and afterwards attained
to the rank of Major. Before the war he was located at Viola, N. Y.,
coming from New York in 1852, where for years he condncted a whole-
sale tobacco business, afterwards removing to Suffern and engaging in
the hotel business. His grandfather, Henry Riggs, was in active sen'iee
in the war of 1S12, and also in the Mexican War, and his great-gi'and-
father ]>articipated in the struggle for liberty of the Revolutionary per-
iod. Mr. Riggs' mothers name was Matilda Jones, a daughter of Jacob
Jones, a prominent farmer of Viola, N. Y., and a great-granddaiighter
of Col. Gilbert Cooper of Revolutionary fame.

WILLIAM HUTTON, JR., was bom in Clarkstowi November 23,
1S48. He attended the public schools and was afterward engaged with
his father in the commission business in New York until ISCti, when he
entered the employ of his nncle as clerk in the general store at Nanuet.
He remained with his nncle in this capacity for four years and then pur-
chased the business, which he has since very successfully conducted. ]\Ir.
Hutton was appointed Postmaster of Nanuet in 1897, but has been iden-
tified with the office since 'CO. He was married in 18(51) to Miss Mary
Trcmple and their family consists of four children, two sons and two
dauglitci's: Chester, Milbonme, Edith and Laura. Mr. Hutton is one
of the I'epresentative liusiness men of Rockland county.

JOSIHJA F. HAZARD, Nyack, was born in Bergen county, N. J.,
January 29th, 1832. When a child his parents removed to Rockland
Lake, and after leaving the Rockland Lake school he took a position as
clerk in a store at that place, which he filled until eighteen yeai-s of age,
when he started in the grocery business for himself. He conducted this
store until 1863, when he came to Nyack and engaged in the meat busi-
ness, which he conducted until 1880, when he sold out and established
his present coal business. In 1853 Mr. Hazard married Caroline Chris-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 43

tio, (laug-liter of John Christie, a contractor in New York. They have
one son, JSIelson M., who is interested with his father in the coal busi-
ness, and an adopted daughter, Grace, now tlie wife of Dr. II. W. Bo}'tl,
the leading veterinary surgeon in Rockland county, ilrs. Hazard died
March 20th, 1890. ]!^elson M. Ilazai-d was married in the spring of
1902 to Sophia Williamson, daughter of Jeremiali Williamson of Nan-
uet, N. Y. John L. Hazard, the father of Joshua F., was born at Hud-
son, N. Y., in 1797. His was a very active life. As a Government con-
tractor he was engaged in many large undertakings, one of which was
tlic building of the Locks at Lockport, which stand today and will prob-
ably stand for ages, as a monument to his skill and ingenuity. He was
an own cousin to Commodore Perry, of Lake Erie fame, and Col. Ethan
Allen. While too j'oung to enlist in the War of 1S12 he still took an
active part in nmnerous engagements. During the latter yeai"s of his life
he lived in retirement at Ivockland Lake, wliere he died in 1SS3, his wife
following him in 1884.

EENJAMRs^ MOFFATT, JR., born in England, April 29th,
1867; has been employed by the Sterling Iron and Railway Company
about .seventeen years; in 189.3 was made the Treasurer of tlie company
and since 189(5 has been Treasurer and Superintendent. Benjamin Mof-
fatt, Sr., father of the above, is Mining Superintendent and Overeeer of
Real Estate for the Sterling Iron and Railway Co. The Sterling Iron &
Railway Company is probably the only company in existence that has
been in operation continuously without a break for over a centm'y.
One of their mines was opened 1.52 years ago and is still producing ore in
paying quantities. The ore from these mines before the Revohition was
shipped to England, where it was used for tinning, and during the Revo-
lutionary period their mines supplied the ore for making cannon and
other war implements. The old "Constitution's" anchor was made from
this ore, as was also the chain that was used for retarding the progress
of the British fleet while moving up the Hudson.

ALFRED V. H. CLARK, Supervisor of Clarkstown, was born in
Clarkstown Xovember 1st, 1847, on the old farm wdiich has descended
to him from his father, Peter II. Clark, who also received it from his
father, Moses Clark. Supervisor Clark when a boy attended tlie local
schools, assisted his father on the farm and earlv in life took a dceji and

44 HISTORY OP ROCKLAND COUNTY.

intelligent interest in all matters pertaining to the welfare of Clarks-
town and Rockland conntj. When only twenty years of age lie was
elected C'onnnissioner of Highways and held the position nine years.
Then in '87 and '88 he served as Collector and after an inten'al of three
years again sensed as Collector, '92 to '97. In 1899 he was elected Sn-
pervisor of Clarkstown, has been re-elected and now holds office until
1903. Mr. Clark's father also served Clarkstown as Commissioner of
Highways. Snpervisor Clark takes a leading position npon the Board
of Supervisors njxm all pnlilic questions and liis clear and ])ra<'tical han-
dling of town matters has gained for him the highest coinnicndatidii and
has been to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents.

JOHN N. WESEL, Nyack, is a native of Germany. He came to
this country in 1873, when seventeen years of age, after he had taken
a very iiigh position as a skilled decorator, among those wlio had learned
and knew wJiat decorating means in the old countiy. He worked at the
trade for a time, and in 1888 established himself in business in Nyack,
N. Y., of which town he has been a resident for the past twenty years.
Mr. Wesel 'owns the building in which he conducts business, and has be-
come one of the leading citizens of the town. He is a member of the
Board of Trade, Fire Department, Odd Fellows, Cennan Order I). O.
H., and Knights of Pythias. His business consists of contracting for fine
decorating and painting, and he has done much notable work in both
this vicinity and New York city. His family consists of wife and six
children, one boy and five girls.

DR. HARVEY C. GILCHREST, D. D. S., is a native of Upper
Nyack. After receiving a public school education lie entered the Penn-
sylvania Dental College at Philadelpliia, graduating therefrom in 1871.
Following his college course and for two years thereafter he worked in
the office with his preceptor in Nyack, and in 1873 opened the suite of
offices which lie now occupies. In 1872 he was united in marriage to
Miss Evaline Tallman, of Nyack. Dr. Gilchrest is Police Justice of Up-
per Nyack and has served on different occasions as Iwtli school and vil-
lage Trustee. He is a member of the Second District Dental Six'iety.
Dr. Gilchrest enjoys the patronage of a good share of the better class of
Nvack citizens. He makes modern dentistiT a studv, and has the latest

BIOGRAPHICAL. 45

appliances in his operating anJ work rooms. He lias as a partner and
able assistant Lis son, Dr. John T. Gilclirest.

STEPHEN II. BURK was born in Nyaek, Rockland county, Janu-
ary 17tli, 1840. lie received his early education in the Nyack public
schools and afterward entered the Brooklyn High School. At the age of
eighteen he took the position of foreman in Edward Burr's (his uncle)
shoe factory in Nyack, occupying this position two years. In 1SG2 he
came to Spring Valley and with Andrew Smith established the business
they are now conducting, that of genei'al merchandise, also lumber, coal
and building material. Mr. Buit was Postmaster for Spring Valley un-
der Abraham Lincoln's administration, was de]x)sed under Grant's, and
afterward appointed to the same office under Garfield. He is a Tnistee
and Steward of the Spi'iug Valley Metho<list Church and for the \nist
ten years has been Treasurer of the School Board. In November, 18G2,
he married Mary E. Cooper, daughter of Tunis Cixiper of West Nyack.
They have two children: Alice, wife of C. L. Sniifen of Spring Valley,
and William, unmarried, living at home. William is a graduate of Am-
hersi College, and is at present draftsman and engineer of the llilli)urii
Foundry Company. Daniel Burr, the father of Stephen, is a direct de-
scendant of Aaron Burr. He established the first shoe factory in Nyack
about the year 1830, conducting the same until 1857. His first wife,
Mary Dezendorf, was a daughter of Bernard Dezcndorf of Clarkstown;
she died in 1842. They had four children: Mary Melvina, wife of AVil-
liam Van Wagnen; Sarah E., wife of P. S. Jacobs of Brooklyn, N. Y. ;
Abbie J., wife of Andrew Smith, and Stephen H. He took for his sec-
ond wife Sophronea Dezendorf, a sister of his former wife. Four chil-
dren came from this union: Melissa, wife of James Vanderbilt of
Nyack; Nathaniel, died in infancy, Emma, married Mr. Dunnett of
England and died in that country; Bertha, wife of a Mr. Jones, of
Brooklyn, N. Y. Daniel Bun- died in 1881.

BOGERT FAMILY. By its male line dates back to its Holland
born ancestor, who emigTated to the New Netherlands prior to 1(161.
His name was Conielis Janse Bogert (or Bomgaert, or Bougart, as it
appears on the records of the Flatbush Chui-ch of which he was a mem-
ber, and other records). In IfiGl he sold to Peter Janscn, shoemaker, a
house and village plot in Flatbush, as jKjr Liber B, p. 47, Flatbush rec-

46 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

ords. His name appears on Gov. Nicoll's patent of Flatlnisli. Oct. lltli,
1667, a general patent was issued by Gov. JSTicoll in wliicli the patentees
were the Eev. Johannis Megaj)olinis, Cornelius Van Euyme, Justice of
the Peace; Adrian Iligeinaii, Jan Snediker, Jan Stryker, Frans Ba-
rents, Jacob Stryker and Coruelis Janse Bougaert as patentees for and
on behalf of themselves and associates, the freeholders and inhabitants
of the said towns, their heirs, successors and assigns for the premises de-
scribed tliereiu as follows: "All yt tract wh ye severall parcells of land
wh already ha^'e or hereafter shall be purchased or procured for and on
behalf of ye said town, whether from ye native Indian proprietors or
others wt in the bounds and limits hereafter set forth and expresst.
That is to say, to ye south by ye hills, and to ye north by ye fence lately
sett between them and the town of Anisford alias Flatlands, beginning
a certain tree standing upon ye Little Flats, marked by ye order and
detennination of several arl)itraturs appointed by me to view and issue
ye ditfereuce between the two towns concerning the same, which accord-
ingly they did upon the 17th of Oct., 1660, and to ye east and west by
the common woodlands, including two tracts heretofor called by ye name
of Curler's and Twiller's flatts who lie to ye east of ye town. As also
a parcel of meadow ground or valley on ye east north east side of Canar-
esse planting laiul, and having to ye south ye meadow groTind belonging
to Amsfort alias Flatbush, according to ye division made by an East line
and running half a jioint northerly between them without variation of ye
Compass, and so to go to ye mouth of ye creek or kill, which said mead-
ows were on ye 20th of April last by common consent staked out and by
my approbation allowed." The descendants of Cornelius Janse spell
their surname Bogert, and reside principally in Bergen and Hudson
counties of New Jersey and in Rockland and New York counties of
New York. With this introdiiction the geneaological history may be
continued as follows, the cajiital letters indicating the direct liiu':

1. COENELIUS JANSE BOGERT— Born in Holland and died in
America prior to 1684. He maiTied Seesje (or Gessie) Williamse and
had issue as follows: (a) Jessie Weiujc Cornelise, married, Dec, 1675,
Gerrit Stryker, of Flatbush. (b) JAN CORNELIS BOGERT, of Hack-
ensack. (c) Klaasje Cornells, m, Hendrick Jerise Brinkerhoff. (d) Roe-
lof Cornelise, of Hackensack, 1604, married, 1695, Gertrong Brynant.
(e) ^Marritje Conielise married, March, 1693, Jacob Stegge. (f) Pieter

BIOGRAPHICAL. 47

Coriielitif, of liackeusaek, ni, Ileiulickje Arents. II. JAN" CORNELIS
BOGERT, eldest son, conveyed, lOth of November, 1G94, to Rem Rem-
soii thirty acres in new lots, L. I. He removed to Ilackensack, X. J.,
and was a member of the Reformed Dutch Church there August, 1087.
He married Angenietje, widow of Claus Tyson, and a daughter of Jan
Stryker, of Flatbusli, and had issue: 1. Roelof Janse, of Flatbusli, in
101)3. 2. Lammetje, baptized October l-lth, 1077; married Jan Claes-
seu Ronieyn, of N. J. 3. Claes Janse, of Bedford and Harlaem. 4.
Jan Jiinse. 5. Gessie Janse, married Roeloif Lubbertse Wester\elt.
0. CORNELISE JA:N^SE, baptized November 17th, 1084. III. COR-
NELISE JANSE BOGERT, nian-ied Willemetje Alberse and had
issue IV. ALBERT BOGERT, born Jamiary 1st, 1715; baptized
Jan\iary 7th, 1715. Witnesses, Albert Stevense and Elena, his wife.
Died September 11th, 1774. He was born and lived in Sluckup (now
Spring Valley), near Paraniies, N. J. Married ]\Iatchel Zabriskwy, Oct.
21st, 1737, who died. Second ^vife, Sarah Demaree (born Dec. 21st,
17 ; died February 26th, 1743, and had issue: 1. Cornelius, boi-n
Aug.'Jth, 1744. 2. DAVID, born May 14th, 1747; buried Oct. 23d,
1805. 3. Jan, born March or May 20tii, 174!), about 8 p. m. 4. Sara,
born Feb. 4th, 1751, about midday. 5. Wellemtje, bom Aug. 3d,
1753, about 1 a. m. 6. Mareya, bom Dec. 17th, 1756. 7. Jacobus,
born March 18th, 1759, about 1 a. m. V. DAVID BOGERT, married
Cornelia Rycknian, July 2Ctli, 1761). She was born July 26th, 1750.
They had issue as follows: 1. Sara, bora Jan. 17th, 1771. 2. Comelia,
bom Jan. 7th, 1773. 3. AVelmpi, born Jan. 30th, 1776. 4. Tobyes,
born Aug. 30th, 1778. 5. Marya, bom Oct. 4tli, 1781. 0. ALLE-
BERT, born Jan. 10th, 1783. 7.' Annee, born Oct. 4th, 1785. 8. Eliz-
abeth, born March 30th, 1788. 9. David, bom June 1st, 1790. 10.
Catrina, bom Dec. 5th, 1795. VI. ALLEBERT (Albert) BOGERT,
married Rachel Blauvelt Nov. 9th, 1804. They had issue: 1. Cor-
nelia, bom Aug. 3d, 1806. 2. Daniel, born April 14tli, 1811; died
Feb. 1st, 1834. 3. DAVID A., bom Oct. 31st, 1814. 4. Raclud, bom
Nov. 25th, 1816. 5. Maria, born Nov. 2d, 1819. 6. JOHN A., bom
Oct. 4th, 1824. 7. Catherine Ann, born May 24tli, 1829. VII.
DAVID A. BOGERT, man-ied, Dec. 23d, 1837, Phebe Ann Osbom,
daughter of George and Martha Stratton Osborn, of Vernon, Sussex
county, N. J. (born Dec. 17th, 1818). They had issue: 1. Ryckman
D., born Nov. 8th, 1839; died. Married, Jidy 5th, 1803, Mary Jane

48 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Busli; no issue. Diiriug the Civil War was an Assistant Surjieon. Was
a practicing pliysiciau in Rockland county, in New York city and in
Paterson, N. J. 2. Saudford, bom Nov. 2ist, 1841; married, Feb. lOtli,
1SG8, Catkerine ]\ra.ria Van Riper. They had issue: (a) Anna, bom
May 25th, 1873; died Sept. 'Jth, 1873. (b) Ada, bom Nov. 7th, 1874.
3. Sylvester S., bom Sept. 23d, 1844; man-ied, Oct. 28t.h, 1869, Sara
Katrina Van Zandt. lie was a practicing physician in New York city
for nearly thirty-six years and now resides at Pearl River, N. Y. They
had issue: (a) Helen Alberta, born April 5th, 1872. (b) David Van
Zandt, born July 12th, 1881. 4. Albert Osborii, bom July lOtli, 1851;
married, march 1st, 1873, Mary C. Everett. He is a practicing physi-
cian in the county. They have issue: (a) Alice Emily, bom June 3d,
1874. (b) Ella Sylvester, bom Ai.ril 30th, 187G. (c) David Albert,
born August, 1878. (d) Anna Clementine, born June lOtli, 1881. (e)
Frances Rose, born May 14th, 1882. JOHN A. BOGERT, mamed
Charity H. Johnston, daughter of John A. and Sally Mead Johnston.
Thiey had issue: 1. Daniel J. A., born Sept. 14th, 1845; married Emily
Van Puskirk and had issue: (a) Mary, born Nov. 29tli, 18(JC. (b) Han-
nah Priscilla, born May 24th, 1869. Married 2nd. No issue. 2. Fran-
cis Marion, born Sept. 19th, 1851; married Mary M. Turpenning. Had
issue: (a) Nelson F. TuqK'iining, bom July 27tli, 1874.

SYLVESTER S. BOtiERT, M. D., was bom on the 23rd day of
September, 1844, at what is now known as Pearl River, lux-kland
county, N. Y. He receiveil a common school education at Orangeville,
in the same county, where he attended from his sixth to his sixteenth
year. Following that he studied medicine with his oldest brother,
attending the sessions of the College of Physicians and Surgeons during
the winters of 1863-4-5, from which institution he graduated March 9th,
18(')5. He practiceil medicine in the city of New York from June lUth,
1865, to April 26th, 1901. He occupied the chair of Surgery from July,
1865, to June, 1866, and that of Diseases of the Heart and Lungs from
the latter date until February, 1876, in the New York Dispensary.
From that period until March, 1887, he was House Physician of the
Eastern Disponsaiw in the city of New York. April 26th, 1901, he
located at Pearl River, where he now has an extensive practice which
covers the territoiy in and around that village. In ix)litics Dr. Bogert is

BIOGRAPHICAL. 49

a Ecpiiblican, and while taking a deep interest in political matters, has
never occupied public otKce, owing to the exacting duties of his profes-
sion. He is a member of the order of Masons, Knights of Pythias, For-
esters, Sons of Temperance, Knights of the Golden ( "ross and the Golden
Star. October 28th, 1809, he married Sara Kathriua Van Zandt, of
Middletown (now Pearl River), N. Y. They have two children, Helen
Alberta and David Van Zandt, both unnuirried, and both residing at
home.

ALBERT O. BOGERT, M. U., was born at Pearl River July 19th,
1851. He attended the public schools of that place and later entered the
State Xormal College at Albany. In the winter of 1871 he taught in
the public schools of Nanuet and the following year entered the College
of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, from which he graduated in
1875. He settled for the practice of his profession first at New City,
where he remained only a short time, and removed to Haverstraw. Here
he practiced as a physician a few months and subsequently practiced at
Pearl River, in Orangetown. In 1888 he came to Spring Valley. Dr.
Bogert was for ten years Justice of the Peaee of Orangetowni. He has
held the office of Associate Comity Judge two terms and for the past
ten years has been a member of the Board of Education of Spring Val-
ley, of which he is now President. In lS7o he was united in marriage
with Mary C, daughter of Captain David B. Everett, of Pearl River,
formerly of Rockland, Maine. They have four children: Mrs. Alex-
ander H. Merritt, of Spring Valley; ili-s. Herlxn-t Straut, of New York;
Mrs. Irviu H. Dexter, of Pearl River, and iliss Frances R. Bogert. His
father, David A. Bogert, was born near Pearl River, Oct. 31st, 1814.
He was a tanner by occupation until the last twenty years of his life,
when he lived retired. His wife, Phel)e Ann Osborn, was born Decem-
ber 17th, 1818, and died Augiist 27th, 1901. He died August 9th,
1895. They have four children: Ryckman D., who died about the
year 1880; Sandford, now living at "Wearinns, Bergen county, N. J.;
Dr. S. S. Bogert, of Pearl River, and Dr. Albert O. Bogert.

W. PARKER SMITH was born in the Washington Headquarters
House at Tappan, Oct. 15, 1860. He received his education in the
Nyack public schools and also attended a private school at Piennont.
About 187(5, his father having died, his mother moved to Spring Val-

50 HISTORY OB' ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Icy ami during tlic two years following lie attended the public school at
that place. In 1879 he took the position of Deputy Postmaster for his
uncle, who was Postmaster of Spring Valley, and occupied that position
three years. In 1S81 Mr. Smith received an appointment in the New
York Post Office, but for various reasons did not qualify. The same
year he accepted a position as house salesman for Wilkinson, Gaddis
et Co., wholesale grocers and commission merchants of Newark, X. J.
lie remained with this firm three years and then moved to Spring Val-
ley. The tirst year of his residence here he was employed by the insur-
ance companies doing business in the county to compile a county rating
book of insurance risks. He then accepted a position in the insurance
office of ex-Assemblyman Lawrence, of Jersey City Heights, X. J.,
where he remained three years. In 1S86 Mr. Smith returned to Spring
Valley and purchased the insurance business of Thomas H. Gemmel.
This he sold out the following year and purchased a half interest in the
boot and shoe store of Bohr & Smith, and in 1808 bought out the entire
business. Mr. Smith has served as a member of the Board of Education
and as an officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cnielty to Ani-
mals. In September, 1887, he married Amy F. Geldiard, of Spring Val-
ley. They had one child, who died in infancy. They are members of
the Spring Valley Reformed Church, of which Mr. Smith is a deacon,
and for many years was the superintendent of the Sunday school. Ilis
father. Dr. T. Blanch Smith, was born near Blauveltville in 1832. Tie
was a graduate of Columbia College and studied medicine with that
eminent ])hysician. Dr. Ilasbrouck. In 185!l Dr. vSiuith bought the old
Washington Headquarters at Tappau and lived there until 18t!9, when
he removed to Nyack. He held numerous public offices while a resident
of that place and at the time of his death, in 1875, was President of the
village.

.TDHX :\rACTEE was born Octol>er 20, 185fi, in the county of
Armagh, in the north of Ireland. At five years of age his parents came
to America, settling at Piermont. He received his education in the pub-
lic schools and also attended the private school of Prof. Walsh of that
23lace. He then took up the stone mason trade and served three years
with his father and shortly after went to Xew York, where he learned
the trade of a brick mason. He next went to Pittsburg and was
enq^loyed in building the Carnegie Steel Company works at Braddock,

BIOGRAPHICAL. 51

and then, in 1875, lie started west as a journeyman mason. After three
years experience in California, and a year in building railroad bridges
on the Isthmus of Panama, he returned to New York and for the ten
yeai-s following was employed in that city and in Brooklyn. He then
returned to Piermont and in July, 1880, married Elizabeth Kennedy, of
Nyack. They have had ten children, nine of whom are living: John,
Francis, James, William, Elizabeth, Sarah, Margaret, Eose, Violet, Mary
(who died in infancy), Marcella and Helen. In 1888 Mr. Magee engaged
in the masou and contracting business for himself in Nyack and has
since established an enviable reputation in that line of work. He is the
acknowledged leader in the mason contracting business in this section.
Mr. Magee has constiiicted many fine blocks and residences, not alone
in Nyack, but in other towns as well. He erected St. Agatha's Con-
vent at Xanuet and the Church of the Transfigiiration at Tan-ytown, the
First Kefonned Chvirch and the Harrison & Dalley block in Nyack, the
Bell Memorial Chapel at South Nyack, the Lewis, Wolfe, Pell and Fish
residences at Tuxedo, the Stersberg residence at Bernardsville, N. J.,
the Allen White house at Montclair, and has constructed other large
buildings and fine residences which attest his skill.

C. IRVING HOPPER was burn in Clarkstown one and one-half
miles southeast of Spring Valley, October 23, 18.54. He attended pri-
vate and public schools at Spring Valley and Nanuet and finished his
education in Hasbrouck Institute at Jersey City, gTaduating from that
institution in 1872. He then devoted his time to assisting his father on
the farm and in managing his business affairs. In the early part of the
eighteenth ccntiuy Garret Hopper came from the northern part of New
Jersey and settled in Rockland county. He acquired a parcel of land
from James VanOrdeu near Scotland Hill. This property fell to his
son, Andrew G. Hopiier, and at his death his son, Albert T., bought up
the interests of the remaining heirs, and with the as.sistance of his son,
C. Irving Hopper, worked the place until his death, and in 1894 it was
sold to Edward T. Lovatt, of New York, the present owaier. Albert T.
Hopper was born June 6th, 1837, and married Ann, daughter of Cor-
nelius A. Blauvelt. His life was spent on his farm, where in connection
with the regular duties of a farmer, h(> established about the year 1857
a wholesale meat business, which he conducted through life, and which
his sou, C. Irving Hopper, took up and still continues. Mr. Ilopix^r

52 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

lias served as a member of the Board of Education, as Highway Com-
missioner in the Town of Ramapo and is a member of Ramapo Council
Royal Arcanum of Spring Yalloy. September 25th, 1888, lie mar-
ried Amy B., daughter of Ur. T. B. Smith, of Nyack. They have tliree
children: Blanch S., A. Russell and Ellen A.

WILLIAM M. FIXCH, Sloatsburg, was born in Dewitt county,
iMichigan, Ajjril 1st, 1858, and when a child his parents moved to Ram-
apo. At ele^-en years of age he began work in the iron ore mines of the
Sterling Mountain Railway Co. He worked in the mines until eighteen
years of age, when the same company gave him a position in their car
shops, wliere he remained three years. The following three yeai^s he was
employed as brakeman for tlie Erie Railroad between Jersey City and
Greycourt. Coming then to Tuxedo Park, he was employed by Meade
& Taft as journeyman carpenter for seven years. In 1890 he, with Rob-
ert W. McCready, established a general contracting and building busi-
ness, under the firm name of McCready & Finch. This business has
since reached large proportions and tlie firm has a large sliare of the Tux-
edo patronage. Mr. Fineli is a member of the Board of Education of
Sloatsbiu'g, a member of Monroe Lodge and Eureka Chapter, F. and A.
M. ; the Mecca Shrine, Scottish Rite, of Xew York; Ramapo Lodge of
Red Men, Junior O. IT. A. M., and the Sons of Veterans. In 1880 Mr.
Finch married Matilda Storms of Ringwood, N. J. Tlicy have tliree
children: Edward, jMaud E. and Robert ]\IeCready. Four who are not
now li-\nng were Hattie, Annie, William Percy and Lillie B.

JAMES CURTIS OREC.ORY. Heni-y Gregory, of the House
of Gregory, of Leicestershire and Nottingham, England, came over to
the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and settled finally in Stratford,
Conn., where his will was admitted to probate June 19th, l(i55, as per
the records. In the English pedigree registered at ISTottiughani, he was
named "Henry of Boston," cadet. Judah, oldest son of Henry, was the
original settler of Danlniry, Conn. The 5th generation after Henry of
Boston, Albert, was born in Danbury, Conn., in 1800, and married Jane
Low (1828), of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Vassar College now occupies a
portion of the Low farm. In 1838 Albert moved to Wawarsing, leister
county, N. Y., and with James Benedict built a number of saw mills,
carr^'ing on an extensive manufacturing business under the finii name

BIOGRAPHICAL. S3

of Gregory tt Bencdiot. In 1840 James Curtis, his sixth child, was l>orn.
In 1858 James went to Albany and entered in the employ of the firm of
J. Benedict & Son, wholesale lumber merchants. First as yard man,
next as salesman and foreman and later as manager. In 1887 he
removed to Nyack, N. Y., forming a partnership with George Gurnee,
of Kockland county, and doing a general business in limiber, coal and
mason's materials, luider the name of Guruee & Gregory. In 1897
George (iurnee retiring, the firm name became and now continues as
Gregory & Sherman. Mr. M. B. Sherman buying out the interest of
George (Jurnee. James Curtis Gregory's ancestor, Judah (iregory, the
original settler of Danbury, bought of the Indians in 1680 about 500
acres of land. This property has always been and continues to remain in
the possession of the Gregory family. They have no recorded deed fur-
ther than the instniment given by the Indians. The members of the
Gregon' family are remarkably long lived as a rule, the average ages of
four l>eing ninety-si.x years, and ilr. J. C. (iregory's grandmather, whose
maiden name was Scare, lived to be over 100 years old. James Curtis
Gregoi'y's family consists of ^vife and two childi'en, a son and a daughtei",
J. Fall Gregory and Jane M. Gregory. Mr. Gregory is identitied with
educational and church interests. He is President of the Board of Trus-
tees and Treasurer of the First Baptist Church, a director and treasiu'er
of the Y. M. C. A., a trustee of the Nyack liljrary, of which he was one
of the incorporators, and for six years he has been a member of the Nyack
Board of Education. He is identified with the Masonic frateniity and
during his long residence in Nyack has done much to foster the best
interests of the village.

ALBERT G. BOGERT was l>orn at Teaneck (West Englewood), N.
J., September 21, 1817. His ancestore settled there long before the
Revolution. His early years up to sixteen years of age were passed on
his father's fai-m. In 183.3 he began learning the carpenter's trade at
Englewood. He remained in Englewood a number of years, afterwards
removing to New York, where he engaged in the contracting and build-
ing business. Mr. Bogert's businetis motto was: "Use good material;
do good work; charge good prices," and by absolutely living up to
the letter of this motto he obtained the rejiutation which secm-ed for
him the patronage of the majority of the wealthy men of New York.
The value of the many beautiful residences which he erected and fin-

S4 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

islicd, together with business bnihlings and public edifices, wouhl .aggre-
gate millions of dollars. lie finished the A. T. Stewart palace, at the
time of its erection many years ago, and which has just recently been
removed. This was one of the most expensively finished dwellings in
America and the interior decorations have probably never been excelled.
It was one of many of Mr. Bogert's achievements. For yeai-s Mr. Bogert
served as President of the Mechanics and Tradesman's Society of New
York, and for eighteen years was treasurer of the jMorthern Dispensary
Company (for dispensing drugs to the poor), situated in Christopher
street. New York. lie is also a life member of the New York Bible
Society and for over forty years was a Director of the Greenwich Bunk
of New York city. Mr. Bogert has li\'e(l a life of intense activity. His
varied business interests and the society demands, which necessarily
come to a man in his position, while adding to the burden, were so sys-
tematized and woven into the everyday affairs that he was enabled to
give to each its proper attention. Some ten years ago Mr. Bogert retired
from the active aft'airs of business life and has since then made his resi-
dence in Nyack.

WATSON TOMKINS, son of Hon. Daniel Tomkins, was born in
Newark, N. J., ilay 5, 182!), and with his parents moved to Orange,
where he attended the common schools and the Academy. The family
subsequently returned to Newark and he attended the Orange street
school for a time. In 1838 his father came to Tomkins Cove with a
company of sixteen for the purpose of establishing lime kilns and pro-
curing limestone for their kilns at Newark, and Watson Tomkins canie
three or four days later in a sloop called "Young Hickory." Of the com-
pany that came Watson Tomkins is the sole survivor. The events of
the trip, his first jo\imey from home, made a deep impression upon the
mind of the youthful traveler, and the same vessel that brought them
hither (a small sloop named the Contrivance) is still in the possession of
!Mr. Tomkins, the oldest vessel on the Hudson, with one exception. The
party having landed their effects, the sloop was loaded with limestone
and sent back to Newark. The first shelter of the party was a rude
shanty, but a house was soon built and when it was completed his mother
came. The limestone quarry was opened, a wharf was built and a bus-
iness was begun which has ever since been a source of wealth. When the
business of brick-making began to assume large proportions, Mr. Tom-

BIOGRAPHICAL. SS

kins eno-agpcl in it witli liis brotlior-in-law, Brewster J. Allison, an<l tliey
hail for a jwriod extensive brick yards at Grassy Point. This partner-
ship was terminated at the end of three years. Ilis father having- ])ur-
c'hasp<l the farm of Samuel Brewster, .sonth of Stony Point, they eom-
nienced making brick on their own account. At the present time Mr.
Tomkins leases most of his land to manufacturers. In September, 1S51,
Mr. Tomkins married Amanda, youngest daughter of lion. George S.
Allison. Her father j)urchased the farm which formerly belonged to
Tobias Waldron and presented it to his daughter, and for a few years
they lived in the old house on that projiei-ty, which was a relic of the
days before the Revolution. They moved to this place in 1802, and in
1872 he built his present elegant residence, which overlooks the river
and the far-famed Stony Point, the scene of General Anthony Wayne's
great victory. ^Ir. Tomkins has had three children: Helen A.,
deceased; Ida F., who married Henry W. Allison, and Mary A., who is
married to Bayanl Fonda.

Mr. Tomkins is one of the representative men of Rockland county,
a man of advanced ideas, of sound, practical knowledge, the foe of eveiy-
thing that is based upon sham. In politics a Republican, in religion n
Presbyterian, a firm and strong friend of the temperance cause, and an
active promoter of any project that tends to increase the welfare and
advance the interest of the community. The labors of an active life have
been crowned with well merited success, and those who know him l)est
are the most prompt to recognize the strength of his purpose in life and
the excellence of his character.

ALEXANDER ROSE, Supervisor of the town of Stony Point, was
born in the village of Stony Point. He attended the public schools there
and for a time was identified with the grocery business. In 1882 he
became engaged in the manufacture of brick, a business which he still
continues. Mr. Rose has always been an active worker for the good of
his town and party. In both he is a prominent factor. He was elected
Supervisor in 1891, and has conducted the affairs pertaining to this office
in a manner that has the warm approval of the public generally, irre-
spective of party lines. Socially, Alexander Rose is a member of Stony
Point Lodge, F. and A. M., of Ilavei-straw, jSTo. 31.3, and of the Red
ilen, and is respecte<l and highly regarded by all. He was the first

56 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Republican Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in tlie history of
Rockland county.

WILLIAM L. TOSTEYIX, the superintendent of the Rockland
Print Works at West IIavei"straw, is a native of Racine, Wisconsin.
He received his education in the public schools and then entered the
establishment of which he is now the general manager as a sketch maker.
He worked .at this branch of the busines.s for thirteen years, when he was
appointed Assistant Sujx'rintendent, and advanced to his present position
of Superintendent in 1000. The position he fills is a most important one,
giving him control over eight hundred hands and one of the largest
plants in this country. These works have turned out goods notable in
the market and have secured numerous prizes, medals, etc., chief among
which was the Gold Medal at the Paris Exposition. Mr. Tostevin is
a Chapter Mason. His wife was Miss Elizabeth Taylor and their family
consi.sts of one child, Lansing' W. Tostevin.

'1^

GEORGE BARDIN, proprietor of the Hotel St. George, Xyack,
N. Y., was born in Belgium in 1840, and came to America in 1868. He
started in the hotel business in 1872, as a caterer for the Erie railroad
ofiices, in Twenty-third street, New York city, and also kept a small
house for the convenience of the Erie railroad officials at 2C2 West
Twenty-fourth street, and catered for a large boarding house at 91 Fifth
avenue. He opened the Sherwood House, Fifth avenue and Forty-fourth
street, in the same capacity, and in the smnmer of 1874-'75 conducted
the Tappan Zee House at Xyack, known at that time as the Rev. D. L.
ilansfield's Female Seminary. He afterwards became the proprietor of
that house, remaining as such for several years, when he o]>ened the
Hotel St. George, October, 1886, which he has made a very popular hotel
by reason of his excellent management. The St. George is one of the
best known hostelries in the country, patronized by tourists enroute
from Xew York to Tuxedo and other coaching parties, also the head-
quarters of bicyclists. The cuisine, imexcelled, has given it a wide rep-
utation. He is an active memlx»r of the Xew York Hotel Association,
and has a large acquaintance among the hotel frateniity generally. He
is a member of Rockland Lodge, Xo. 723, F. and A. M., the Xyack Row-
ing Association, Cercle de I'Hannonie and other organizations, and he
is one of the best known and most successful hotel men of the time.

BIOGRAPHICAL. S7

JOIIX p. SMITH was born in Nyaek and educated at the public
schools and Lee's Academy, from which he graduated in 1877. In 1S67
his father, James E. Smith, ))urchased the ship-building business located
on the Hudson river at the foot of Fourth aveniu\ This plant was estab-
lished in 1836 and is now one of the oldest concerns of the kind on the
river. In 1878 John P. Smith entered the employ of his father as an
apprentice, going through every branch of the establishment and mas-
tering every detail of the ti-ade. He became the firm's manager and
remained so until the death of his father, in 1880, when he succeeded
to the ownership of the business. In April, 1001, the firm was incoqjo-
rated as the John P. Smith Company, with John P. Smith as Secretary,
Treasurer and Cieneral Manager. Since the incorporation the company
have purchased land adjoining and now have a water frontage of over
700 feet. They have in contemplation extensive improvements and
plans for eidarging the capacity of the works, which it is expected will
l>e accomplished before the close of another season. Some of the fastest
yachts in American waters have been built at this yard, notably the
sloop yacht Oracle, the schooner Madeline, wliich successfully defended
the American cup against the Canadian schooner Countess of Dufferin,
the Tidal Wave schooner, the schooner yacht Republic, the schooner
yacht Prunhelde, for John J. Phelps, son of William Walter Phelps,
and it was claimed the first American sailing yacht that made a trip
aroimd the world, the sloop yacht Sylbel, the schooner yacht Elsmarie,
the sloop yacht Nellie, the steam yacht Gadabout, the steam yacht
Meteor, the twin-screw steamer Tourist, and the side-wheel steamboat El-
beron of the New York and Redbank line. This company is also largely
engaged in rebuilding and repairing vessels of all descri])ti()ns and this
yard is the princijial refitting headquarters for large yachts on the river.
Mr. Smith has lieen a member of the Board of Education for the past
seven years, up to last October (1001), when he tendered his resigna-
tion. He is Past Master of Rockland Lodge, F. and A. M., and
Past High Priest of Rockland Chapter, Xo. 204. He is also a member
of the Board of Tmstees of the Presbyterian Church and has been the
secretary of the Board for the past twelve years. The ancestors of Mr.
Smith have been residents of the county for many generations. His
grandfather, Peter A. Smith, was a well known river captain, and his
father also in his early years followed the river until lie went to learn the

58 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY,

sliip-lniililing trade. IFr. Siiiitli marriod Elizalx'th A. Graham, niece
of ilrs. William IJanJolpli, uf Xyack, and they have one sou, James
Edmond.

M. WATSON DE BAITK. The Hndson valley became in the first
half of the eighteenth century the abode of many French Protestant
families, "of that high minded race who for the sake of conscience made
these Western wilds their home." At the time of the revocation of the
edict of Nantes they fled to this country and settling along the ITiulsou
became the foTinders of many of the prominent and leading families
in this vicinity. Karl DeBaiin, a pioneer and leading spirit of that per-
iod, settled near Rockland Lake, from whom M. AVatson DeBaun and
the DeBaun family of Bockland county are lineal descendants. One of
a family of six children, il. Watson DeBaun was born in Nyack. He
attended the public schools of Nyack and New City and when nine years
of age went to live with his grandfather, Henry R. Stephens, at New
City. He afterwards learned the carpenter's and builder's trade and in
1859 returned to Nyack, where he has since carried on the business of
contracting and building upon an extensive scale. He has, in connection
with his brother, II. DeBaun, under the firm name of M. W. and H.
DeBaun, erected nearly 2,000 buildings of varioiis kinds and sizes from
the niausion of the millionaire to the modest residence of the artisan.
Mr. DeBaun is one of the Directors of the Nyack Board of Trade. He
is a Mason and was a Trustee of the village in 1883-'87, and has been
President of the Presbyterian Church Board for the past twenty-two
years, and of the school board for two terms. He married Catherine,
daughter of Edward Perry, in 1862, and has a family of four children:
Anna and Ella DeBaun, both missionaries in Mexico, Alice, and Flor-
ence, who married liev. (ieorge Johnson, who is also a missionary in
Mexico.

H. W. BOYD, V. S., Nyack's leading veterinary surgeon, is a native
of Vermont, having been born in Wilmington, December, 1861. He
attended the local schools of Wilmington and afterwards the High
Schocd in New York city. He also graduated from the American Vet-
erinary College there. In 18SS he began the practice of liis profession
at Englewood, where he remained for nine years. In 1898 he opened
an ofHcc in Nyack and very soon became the leading practitioner in vet-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 59

criiiiiry surgery in this vicinity of the State. Dr. Boyd is also ideiititicd
with h)cal aflfaii-s, corporate and social. IIo is a member of the Amer-
ican Association of Vct<»rinary Colleges and of the Knights of Pythias.
He is married and has one cliihl. Dr. Boyd's ancestors were among the
early settlers of Vermont and their descendants have always taken a
leading p:>sition in the affairs of that State.

THOMAS F. TASMA:N. For more than half a century the Tas-
man undertaking establishment has been identified with the liusiness
interests of the lower Hudson valley. Thomas Tasman, Sr., founded the
business in London, England, in the early part of the nineteenth cen-
tury, and in 1S3,") came to America, locating in New York, where he
began the manufacture of trunks and also conducted an undertaking bus-
iness. In 1847 he came to !Nyack and was employed as a carjienter until
1S57, when he ojwned an undertaking establishment, which has lieen
uninterru]itcdly continued up to the present time. Thomas F. Tasman
was born on Staten Island July 1, 1838. At thirteen years of age he
was ajiprenticed to a firm of jewel case manufacturers in Xew York. He
remained with them live years, then came to Nyack and began work for
A. J. & H. E. Stonns, cedar ware manufacturers. From a boy he
worked up to foreman of the shop, which position he retained until the
dissolution of the business in 1870. During his term of service in this
business he also served as assistant to his father in the undertaking estab-
lishment, and in 1870 was made a ]>artner with him, In 1872 he pur-
chased his fathei''s interest and has since successfully conducted it, with
the assistance of his son Harry. They have recently moved into new
quarters, especially arranged and fitted for their piuiiose, at the corner
of Broadway and Remsen street. ]\Ir. Tasman was united in marriage
with Miss Mary Perry of Nyack. They have three children: Robert
H., who married May Leonard, and they have one son, Harold; Emily
Valeria, who married (iieorge Edward Gregoiy, of the National ("ity
Bank of New York, and Harry P., who married Myra Giles, of West
Nyack, and they have two sons, Giles and Earle. Mr. Tasman has for
a nmnber of years been trustee of the public schools and was for twenty
years superintendent of Oak Hill Cemetery. He is now serving on the
Board of Fire Commissioners. He is also a mcml>er of Rockland Lodge,
No. 723, F. and A. M., and was an Odd Fellow from 18G1 to ISSO. In
1859 he joined the Methodist Church of this village and has held all

60 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY,

tlio offices in tli-o clnircli, inchiding that of superintPiident of the Sunday
school, wliicli ho hckl for sc'vcral years.

T)Vx. GEOrvGE S. WRITER is a native of OtisviUe, X. Y., where
he received a common scliool education. After leaving- school he took up
the study of dentistry, and in 1898 graduated from the Philadelphia
Dental College. Soon after leaving college he opened an office in Otis-
viUe, remaining there until Octol_>er, 1899, when he removed to Xyack.
Dr. Writer has pleasant, commodious offices on North Broadway, comer
of First avenue. lie has all the latest improvements in dental appliances
for painless operations and is a skilled workman in all branches pertain-
ing to modern dentistry. The doctor makes a specialty of crown and
bridge work. lie is securing the confidence and patronage of many
wealthy Xyack families, who have formerly had much of their work
done in Xew York city. Dr. A\'riter is a member of Grand Lodge, No.
385, Knights of Pythias.

DENTON FOWLER, JR., was born in Haverstraw, X. Y., Octo-
ber 25th, 185(i. His preliminary education was received in the public
schools and he afterwards attended Packard's Business College. While
still a boy he began work in his father's brick yards, in which way he
l)ec.ame familiar with every department of the business. In 1880 he
embarked in business for himself and organized the firm of I). Fowler,
Jr., Ar Co., which has since carried on an extensive trade in the bi'ick
industry. Mr. Fowler devotes his attention to the manufacture of brick,
and allows no outside matters to interfere with his chosen work. With
the firms of U. F. Washburn & Co., and Washburn & Fowler he occu-
pies the positions of secretary and treasurer. The attractive residence of
Mr. Fowler, which was the old Judge Suffern homestead, on Allison
avenue, is mentioned in Dr. Freeman's "Thirty Years in Haverstraw."
Mr. Fowler was married, December 19th, 1894, to !Miss Lucretia, daugh-
ter of Samuel Snedeker. Both jMr. and Mrs. Fowler are members of the
Presbyterian Church.

EDGAR TILTOX. Three Tiltons, John, William and Peter, came
to Xew England in 1639-'40. John and William were without doubt
brothers, and first settled in Lynn, Mass. Peter was a son of William
Tilton and first settled at Windsor, Conn., coming from England in

BIOGRAPHICAL. 61

lfi39, with the Rev. Ephraim Unit, who settled in colleague with the
Rev. John Warehani, pastor of the church at AV'indsor. Peter was mar-
ried the same year. In 1659 he removed to Hadley, Mass., and was a
prominent citizen and a Representative to the General Coiu-t. He had
but one son, Pet/cr, who died single. William Tilton, as above, is an
ancestor of the New England Tiltons. lie died in Lynn in 1653, leav-
ing a widow, Susanna, and three sons (by her), Samuel, Abraham and
Daniel. She mamed, second, in 1653, Roger Shaw, of Hampton, N. H.
and with Samuel and Daniel moved to Hampton. Abraham apprenticed
himself, Dec. 25, 1653, to John Hood, of Lynn, but his apprenticeship
was early terminated and we next find him with his father-in-law at
Hampton. Peter, as above, must have been the son of William by an
earlier marriage, and was in his maturity when he came over to New
England. John Tilton removed from Lynn, 1643, to Grovesend, Long
Island, Essex county. Court records reveal the fact that his wife, with
others, held religious views that were deemed heretical and subjected
them to trial. This persecution led to their removal from Grovesend.
John Tilton kept the town records of Grovesend for many years, and the
original book is still there. He left three sons and four daughtei's. Two
sons, John and Peter, went to ilonmouth county, New Jersey, the
third, Thomas, went to Delawai'c. John Tilton (-2) had five sons and
three daughters. Edgar Tilton, of Sntfern is a descendant of .Folin Til-
ton, of Monmouth county, N. J. On his mother's side lie is descended
from old Revolutionary stock. John White, his great grandfather, was,
1790, the first Postmaster of Baltimore, Md., appointed by George Wash-
ington. Judge Edgar Tilton has been a resi<lent of Rockland county
since 1892. Coming liere at that time from New York, where for
thirty years he conducted a flourishing trade in tropical goods as an
importer. Wishing to retii-e from the life of nervous activity incident
to the business in which he was engaged, he disposed of his commercial
interests in New York and removed to Suflern, where he ))urchased a
handsome residence, within the eastern portion of the village. Judge
Tilton was born September 23, 1843, in Bi-ooklyn, N. Y. His educa-
tion was acquired in the schools of New York and Brooklyn and (^ohmi-
liia Grammar School, College of New York. He was first married to
Ellen (". Putney, daughter of Rev. R. C. Putney, of New York city.
She died in 1884, leaving two children, the eldest. Rev. Edgar Tilton,
Jr., pastor of the Colgate Reformed Church of the City of New York,

62 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

and Agnes E. Tilton, living at home. He was again married in 1887
to Ivebecca M. Ford, daughter of Alpheus II. Ford, of Ottawa, 111. In
1897 he was appointed Justice of the Peace to succeed Harry C. Wan-
amaker, and in N^ovemher of 1898 was re-elected to the same responsible
othce, showing conclusively the esteem and confidence in which he is
held by the voters of that district, and the acceptable manner in which
he transacts all legal matters coming under his jurisdiction.

TALBOT CIIAMBEES DEXTER was born at Galena, III, April
20th, 1857. He attended the public schools until the age of fourteen,
when he entered the office of the "Iowa State Register," DesMoines, la.,
serving a four years' apprenticesliip as pressnum. He was then employed
by the Western Newspaper Union of the same place for seven years, the
last three of which he occupied a position as foreman of the press room.
It was diu'ing this period that he invented the Dexter Folding Machine,
which formed the nucleus of the Dexter Folder Co. The company was
organized in DesMoines, la., for the manufacture of these machines and
was carried on successfully for eight years, when it was deemed advis-
able to remo^'e the establishment east. A location was secured at Ful-
ton, N. Y., in 1890, and the business was carried on at that point until
1894, when the company decided to secure a permanent site nearer Xew
York city. This resulted in their locating permanently at Pearl River,
N. Y. They now occupy their own plant and furnish employment to a
force of 250 men. The subject of this sketch is secretary and genei'al
manager of the corporation. Mr. Dexter was married May 21st, 1878,
to Mary E. Hall, a daughter of Joseph E. Hall, of DesMoines, la. They
have had .six children, four of whom are living. In politics Mr. Dexter
is a staunch Republican. Both he and Mrs. Dexter are members of the
Methodist Church.

AVilliani P. Dexter, father of Talbot Chambers Dexter, was bom
in West Randolph, Vt. He was a cabinet maker Tiy trade and carried
(m for years a furniture business in Galena, 111., in the .same buililing
with Gen. Grant's father. Mr. Dexter, Sr., was married to Anna B.
( "handlers, a native of Ohio, at Galena, 111. They removed to Iowa in
1860.

CLAREFCE M. TRAVIS, %ack, is a native of West Taghkanic,
X. Y., born December 13, 1877. He is a descendant of Titus Travis, who

BIOGRAPHICAL,. 63

partic-ipated iu the war of tlit' Eevoliition, and was a pioneer settler of
this State. C. M. Travis received his education in the schools of Pougli-
keepsie and Eastman's Business College, and became identified with the
business of making monuments, headstones, etc., in Plainfield, N. J., at
an early age. On February 25th, ISO'J, he located in Xyack, JST. Y.,
bought a lot at the corner of Main street and Midland avenue and built
upon it, and now has on hand a well selected stock of monuments and
headstones and has gained a high reputation for turning out artistic work.
His trade extends throughout Rockland, Putnam and Orange counties,
and iu Xew Jersey. As an instance of liis reputation in tiu-ning out
high class work, we may mention that he designed and made the monu-
ment for the grave of Sergeant "Bill" Anthony in EvergTcen Cemetery,
Brooklyn. Tlie monument is of rough granite, four feet high, three
feet wide and two feet in thickness, and the inscription on the polished
surface includes the words in which Anthony as orderly reported the dis-
aster to the Elaine to Capt. Sigsbee. C. M. Travis is a member of the
Nyack Board of Trade and of the Agricultural Society and is a fireman.
Mr. Travis mamed, June 12, 1900, Sarah T. Lovatt, daughter of Hon.
Edward T. Lovatt, of Tarrytown, IST. Y. The ancestors of the Travis
family in America were seven brothers who came from Scotland during
the War for Independence. One of these brothei's, Titus Ti-avis, was a
soldier in that war, in Colonel Liulington's Dutchess county regiment.
He was the great, great grandfather of Clarence M. Travis. The Travis
homestead at Garrisons, opposite West Point, has been in the family for
seven generations. The father of the subject of this sketch is the I\ev.
R. H. Travis, D. D., and his mother was Hannah M. Ilustis.

HOX. THOMAS EINEGAX. The subject of this sketch was born
in Haverstraw in 1852. After leaving school Mr. Finegan was employed
in various ways for a number of years, during which time he learned
the trade of mason and brick layer. Tn 1870 he accepted a position as
expert brick layer with a Massachusetts concern, which position he
retained for about ten years, his field of operations extending to all the
large cities in the United States and Canada. In 1880 he was engaged
on the construction of a portion of the Xew York elevated railroads and
. later on that of the Brooklyn bridge as mechanic. In 1881 he came to
Haverstraw and opened a retail cigar store and one year from that date
he purchased the mineral water business of the late John Hall, which he

64 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

is still successfully conducting. In 1895 lie began brewing ale and por-
ter and in 1000 added the brewing of lager beer. The business has
rapidly increased and enlarged to such an extent that ]\Ir. Finegan has
found it exjjedient to take into partnership his son, James E. In 1891
Mr. Finegan was elected on the Democratic ticket a memlxT of the Leg-
islature, his opponent on the Republican ticket being Hon. Arthur S.
Tompkins. He was re-elected in 1892, over Alexander Rose, of Stony
Point. Mr. Finegan has always shown an active interest in real estate
matters and for several years was Town Assessor. He is a member of
Rockland Lodge, Foresters of America.

FRED W. SNOW, the son of William ^Y. Snow, was born at Woon-
socket, R. I., Sept. 12th, 1853. He commenced his education in the
]iiiblic schools of Jersey City, afterward attended a private school in
jSfewburgliand the Peekskill Military Academy and finally he entered
the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y. At the comple-
tion of his second year in the institute, in July, 1872, he entered the
Rhode Island Locomotive Works, at Providence, to learn the practical
part of iron manufacturing. In 1875 he returned to Hillburn and took
the position of Assistant Superintendent of the Ramapo Wheel and
Foundry Company, which oiiice he held until 1881, when the Ramapo
Iron Works was organized, and he accepted the position of superintend-
ent of this company, resigning his fonner position. In ifay, 1900, he
was elected to the office of President and General Manager of the com-
pany, and holds that position to-day. He also holds the office of Pres-
ident of the Rockland Electric Company and the Mountain Spring
Water Company. In 1895 Mr. Snow was selected by the State Com-
mission to represent them in .securing for the State of New York a suit-
able building and location at the Atlanta Exposition. That Mr. Snow
was an able representative is evidenced by the fact that he secured by far
the finest site on the groimds, and the building itself, instead of sharing
the fate of tlic balance of the exposition buildings, was donated by the
Commission to tiie Piedmont Driving Association, on whose grounds it
was located, and kept as a permanent structure for use as a club house.
On October 27, 1881, Mr. Snow married Eugenie, only daughter of
Daniel I. Hasbrouck, of Gardiner, Ulster coinity, N. Y. They have four
children: Homer Hasbrouck, Marguerite, William Wait and Douglas
Este. Mr. Snow is a member of the New England Society and other

BIOGRAPHICAL. 65

social organization-s. He is au euthusiastic Mason, having taken the
various degrees, ending with that of the ^Mystic Shrine.

EUWAKD ZOLLNEK was born in Germany in the year 1838. He
came to Xew York in 1855 and for the following twenty years was
engaged in the manufacture of cigars there. In 1875 he bought the
old Polhemns farm, located on the Bardonia Eoad, a half-mile distant
from the Bardonia railroad station. Mr. Zollncr's wife died a few
yeai's after their marriage, leaving two children. One child, Mrs. Addie
Souers, died in ISiOO. The other daughter married Thomas B. Stonns
and they reside upon the farm. Mr. Zollner during his business life
was very energetic and successful, and has since purchasing his farm
vastly improved that property. He has just erected one of the most
elegant mansions upon it to be found in Kockland county. It is artistic,
systematically laid out and beautifully furnished. Mr. Zollner is a
man of the strictest business integrity and deserves his well earned
success.

STORMS FAMILY. John Storms, ancestor of tliis family, was
born June 4th, 1791. His wife, Catharine, was bom January 15, 1792.
They had ten children, viz.: Sarah, born 1813; Emelinc, born 1815;
Abraham, born 1817; Henry E., bom 1819; Elizabeth, born 1821;
Rachael, born 1825; David 6., born 1827; Mary Amanda, born 1829;
Rachacl M., bom 1831; John, born 1835. David 0. Storms married
Matilda Blanch January 19, 1855. They had seven children: Cora,
born 1859; Oscar, bom 1801; Thomas, 1862; Harry, 1804; Frank,
1865; Ellsworth, 1867, and Jennie, born 1869; died 1871. Thomas
was married to Mary E. Zollner, a daughter of Edward Zollner, June
14, 1885. They have four children living, Edward H., Louis L., Thomas
B. and Marie.

GEOBGE W. MITSOII was born at Haverstraw August 1, 1870.
He attended the local schools and after leaving school took a clerical
position, which he followed until 1892. Mr. Mitsch was then appointed
Postmaster of West Haverstraw, July 16th, 1890, under the Cleveland
administration. In May, 1898, he established his grocery business in
West Haverstraw. He has also served as Collector of the Town of Hav-
erstraw for the past six years. Mr. Mitsch is identified with all prom-

66 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

inent local benevolent and social institutions, such as Odd Fellows, Res-
cue Hook and Ladder Company, Presbyterian Cliurcli, etc. He was
married to Miss Eleanor Estelle C'onklin, a daughter of L. J. Conklin,
September 11, 1892. George W. Mitscli is one of the soundest and most
reliable business men of the county.

CHAELES BARUON, Collector of the Town of Clarkstown, is a
son of Conrad Bardon, who purchased land on the Xyack Tiu'iipike
over forty yeai-s ago, upon wliich he settled. Here our subject was born,
May 10, 1867. He is the youngest of a family of five children. His
father besides being engaged in farming, also cdnducted a wood busi-
ness, and lived upon the property here until his death, which occurred in
1880. Charles Bardon attended the Nanuet school and upon his father's
death succeeded to the farm. In 1901 he was man-ied to Emma C.
Schoniburg, of New Yoi'k. Mr. Bardon is an important .member of the
Democratic party in Clarkstown. He has served as Commissioner of
Highways for five years and as Collector for three terms (four years)
and is still in this office. He is energetic and progressive and no doubt
will become more and more useful to his party as time rolls on.

MAX GONDECK was born in Germany September 30, 1S69. He
came to America sixteen years ago and for the first four years was in
the west, for a time engaged in farming. Our subject then returned
east to Brooklyn, X. Y., and learned the butcher and retail meat busi-
ness. After working at this for six years he came to West Nyack and
bought property near the West Shore depot. jMr. Gondeck erected upon
this a vexy convenient and up-to-date meat market and residence com-
bined and also a fine barn. He does a good business which extends
in all dii'ections, covered by delivery wagons. Progressive, genial and
pushing, Mr. Gondeck is sure of future success. He is married and has
one child named Marguerite. He is a loyal member of the C. B. L. and
of the Catholic Clnirch

B. F. SHAW, Manager of the Ramapo Car Wheel Company, was
born at Turners, Orange covmty, N. Y., August 28, 1872. His parents
moved to Bamapo when our subject was a child. He attended public
pchoid there and entered the employ of the company of which he is now
manager, as office boy sLxteeu years ago. His ambition and ability were

BIOGRAPHICAL. 67

recog-nized by his employers, who repeatedly advanced him, aud event-
iially upon the reorganization of the concern in 1SS9, appointed him
Manager. Mr. Shaw was married in ISDO to Julia Ford. They have
one child, a girl. Marguerite. The Eamapo Car Wheel Company
employs about one hundred hands and manufactures about fifty tiiou-
sand wheels annually, a large number of which are exjjoi'ted to foreign
countries. The works were established in 186G.

W. F. VAGTS, hotel keeper at Xauuet, was born in Germany,
August ISth, 1855. He landed in this country the 14th of November,
1878, and worked in New York city for Henry Brinker & Co., in the
market produce business, until 1890, and then for a time for Mr. Buh-
holz, in Brooklyn, N. Y. In 1894 he moved to Nanuet, and in 1895
bought his hotel property and livery stables. He was married in 1888
to Bertha Mahler, of Brooklyn. They have no issue. Mr. Vaghts is a
member of the Nanuet fire department. Ancient Order of Foresters,
Court Nanuet, 7976, I. 0. 0. F., 133, Steuben, aud a benevolent
society of New City.

IRA M. HEDGES, Jr., is a son of Charles A. Hedges, of Cornwall,
N. Y., and a nephew of the late General Ira M. Hedges, of Haverstraw.
He was born February 16, 1878, and received his education in the Hav-
erstraw public schools and the high school at Cornwall-on-the-Hudson.
After leaving school he became a telegTaph operator and filled a
position as operator at Liberty, N. Y., for one year. When Spain
declared war against this country he enlisted in the 203rd New York
Volunteers and seiwed one year, being mustered out in March, 1899,
with the rank of corporal. For a short time after this Mr. Hedges was
engaged in business in Brooklyn, N. Y., and in 1901 came to Haver-
straw to assume charge of his uncle's coal and lumber yards.

JOHN TEOUP was born in Scotland November 4th, 1857. He
learned his trade (stone cutter) in Scotland, and worked at his trade
there. He came to this country in 1881, for a year was employed at
Hollowel, ]\raine. He then .secured a position in the Vermont quarries,
where he remained eight years. Mr. Troup then engaged witli Coo])cr,
of Havci-straw, with whom he remained three years, and then established
his present business five years ago. He has done much notable work

68 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

since starting business, siicli monuments as Kennedy's, Halm's, Jones's,
Crowley's, O'Neil's and O'Brien's in the local cemetery, and ilurdock's,
Brooks's, DeCamp's, etc., at Stony Point, are marked evidences of his
skill. Mr. Troiqie's family consists of wife (formerly Helen Matland)
and five children: Helen R., William, James, Robert and Norman.
Helen R. is a trained nnrse in St. Luke's Hospital in N^ew York city.

HOWARD S. COURTNEY was born at Fitchburg, Mass., January
lOtli, 1877. When a child his jiarents removed to Attleboro, jMass.,
where he received his education and early training. He afterwards
attended Amherst College. In 1900 he came to Rockland county and
in Nyack embarked in business as a florist, growing roses for the New
York market. Success attended him from the beginning. With a nat-
viral aptitude and love for the business and a persevering, energetic dispo-
sition, he soon created a demand for his stock. With the ever increasing
trade came the necessity for more luiildings and more room. Therefore
in March, 1900, Mr. Courtney removed his establishment to Sparkili,
some five miles below Nyack. Mr. Courtney is easily the largest grower
of roses in Rockland county. He has seven large buildings devoted
exclusively to their culture and in four other buildings he grows carna-
tions, .sweet peas and smilax. Altogether he has eleven houses at pres-
ent in Sjiarkill, which aggregate 28,000 feet of glass.

JOHN W. HARRISON is a native of Kent, England. He came
to America about thirty-three years ago, and to Nyack, N. Y., in 1891
to live. The firm of Harrison & Dalley, of which he is the senior mem-
ber, was established here in 1887 and has occupied the present quarters
since 1894. Prior to establishing business in Nyack, Mr. Harrison con-
ducted a business at Newport, R. I. The finn of Harrison & Dalley
are members of the New York Dry Goods Exchange. This enables
them to obtain goods at jobbing prices. Their business in Nyack
embraces two floors with basement, 50x144 feet in dimensions, Avhich
gives them 21,000 square feet of floor space. They carry a heavy stock
of merchandise. Mr. Harrison is a Mason, a member of the Nyack
Board of Trade and the Nyack Rowing Association, and is one of the
solid business men of Rockland county.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 69

ADAM IIILLENBRAjSTD, Snporintcndciit of the Gcnnan Masonic
Homo at Tappaii, N. Y., was born in Germany August Tth, 1853. He
came to America in 1876, and for two years after liis arrival worked in
a l)akcry. Mr. Hillenbrand then the following twenty years was iden-
titicd with the manufacture of leather specialties and for four years
he conducted a dry goods establishment in Brooklyn, IST. Y. In 1901
he was appointed Superintendent of the German Masonic Home at Tap-
pan, which position he now occupies. Mr. Hillenbrand is a high up
Mason, a member of Herter Lodge of Brooklyn, No. 698, and also of
tlie Kriegerbund, a (Jerman singing society. He was married in 1876
to Miss Clara Hedwick, and his family consists of wife and two children,
Hedwick and Martha.

ABRAHAM MAZE, of Tappan, a representative New York bus-
iness man, of Scotch Covenanter ancestry, came into Rockland county
to reside in the spring of 1893. He became much attached to this local-
ity during his summer holidays, which he spent here when a boy. He
then became widely acquainted with the old families of this county. Mr.
Maze now occupies the greater portion of the year a fine old homestead
situated within a half mile of the '76 House of Revolutionary fame at
Tappan. He was bora in New York city July 8th, 1838. After leaving
school, when only twelve years of age, he entered the employ of the
Hardon Express Company, whicli afterwards became known through-
out the country as the Adams Express Company. After a period he
established himself in the marketing business in New York, which he
conducted for thirty years and then retired from active business opera-
tions. During his younger days Mr. Maze was actively interested in the
New York fire department and is now an exempt fireman. He is also a
member of Greenpoint Lodge, No. '103, F. and A. M., and of the old
Dntcli Reformed Church of Tappan, in wdiich lie has filled all oflices,
such as deacon, elder, trustee, etc. Mr. Maze lias been twice married
and has one child, a son, Montgomery M. jMaze, born in 1863, who is
a graduate of the New York College. ]\rontgomerv if. Maze is a very
enterprising and successful New York business man. He is lessee and
manager of the Grand Central Palace of New York and resides at 10
West 88th street. His wife was formerly Miss Celia Fav.

70 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

JAMES ]\rORKISSEY was born at Grassy Point, Rockland county,
N. Y., in 1800. His father, James Moi-risscy, Sr., who died in 18S7,
established the mercantile and brick manufacturing business now man-
aged by the siiliject of tliis sketch. James Morrissey, Sr., left four sons,
of whom James is the eldest and the practical head of the business, which
consists of two brick yards, a general store and a coal yard. Mr. Mor-
rissey is a Knight of Columbus and in 1901 was married to Miss Maggie
Ducey,

ALBERT S. COLLIG^^ON was bora in New Jersey. He took pos-
session of the old '76 House, "famed in history as the prison place of
Major Andre," August 15tli, 1901, and in it now conducts a hotel and
reception place for tourists and all who desire to visit this renowned
neighborhood. Within a few hundred yards is also situated the hill upon
which Andre was executed. A monument now marks the spot, and in
an opposite direction, within a quarter of a mile, stands Washington's
Headquarters at Tappan. Mr. Collignon's family are celebrated hotel
keepers, having conducted hotels in Pearl River, Sparkill, Bergen
Fields, West Nyack, Wcstwood and Orangeburg. He has in the '76
House a famous place and is doing an excellent business, especially dur-
ing the summer season. Old relics, such as the table upon which Andre's
death warrant was signed, old fireplaces, etc., are preserved. A fine en-
graving of the '76 House as it now appears is in tliis work.

THOjMAS ROAVAN was born in Haverstraw. He attended school
tliere and in early life learned the plumbing and roofing business, in
which he was engaged up to the time of the great blizzard of 1888. Dur-
ing that year the firm of Bennett, Rowan tt Scott was formed, for the
purpose of manufacturing brick, in which firm Mr. Rowan was a part-
ner. Hpon the death of Mr. Scott, in 1896, the old finn was dissolved
and a new one established, consisting of Mrs. C. L. Scott and Tliomas
Rowan, under the finn name of Rowan & Scott, which is still doing bus-
iness. The capacity of the firm's yard is 21,000,000 brick per season,
and they have by modern business methods succeeded in turning out
productions that are unexcelled in the market. The fii-m of Rowan &
Scott was the first to make a success of oil burning. This firm has an
excellent plant, fitted up with special machinery and appliances for burn-
ing brick, together with a large tank for tlie storage nf oil, which will

BIOGRAPHICAL. 71

l\pl(l nearly a million jvallons. Mr. Rowan has been pi'ominently identi-
fied with local affairs, having served as Assessor for six years, and as a
member of the Board of p]d\ication. lie is also a member of the Knights
of Columbus and was long connected with the ITaverstraw fire depart-
ment. His wife was Miss Helen C'ahill and their family consists of six
children: Mamie, Ella, Clara, Agnes, Joseph and Thomas.

FRED BOOTH, Secretary and Superintendent of the Firth Carpet
Company, at Firthcliffe, N. Y., is a native of Yorkshire, England. He
was born February 16th, 1860, educated in the public schools and
entered at an early age the emjiloy of Messrs. Firth, in whose service
he has woi'ked through all grades, and now occupies the most important
position of Secretary and Superintendent of the American branch. F.
F. Firth & Sons (Limited), of England, are extensive carpet manu-
facturers. They inaugurated an American branch in 18K4 at Phila-
delphia and in 1886 purchased the grounds and one or two small Iniihl-
ings at Old Cornwall. They have since erected a magnificent plant there,
in which they employ four himdred hands and they have had the name
of the village changed to Firthcliffe. Mr. Booth was appointed manager
in 1888. The output of this plant is about 2,000,000 yards of tapestry
and Brussels carpet and rugs per year. A number of clerks and book-
keepers are busy keeping account of the enormous business done and the
goods reach all parts of this country. Fred Booth is a niemljer of the
Protestant Episcopal Church. His family consists of wife, formerly
Lydia Hirst, of England, and three children: Annie, bom 1887; Mar-
iam R., bom 1892, and Frances Elmer, born 1897. Vigilant, energetic
and faithful, Mr. Booth is a valua.ble man in any community an<l is cer-
tainly the architect of his own fortune.

PATRICK BROPHY was bom July 16, 1 840. He came to Grassy
Point as an employee of Brewster J. Allison in 1S54, when but a youth
and by hard work and close methods, he had saved up .suflScient means
to go into business for himself. He now conducts a yard at Grassy Point
capable of turning out six million brick per season, and which furnishes
employment to a considerable number of men. Mr. Bro])hy is a
thorough business man and a liberal and progressive citizen. He is a
trustee of St. Joseph's Church at Grassy Point and is always ready to do
his part towards forwanling any good pi'oject. His family consists of

72 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

wife, formerly Miss Annie Morrissey, and nine cliildren, viz.: Jnlin,
a Sister of Charity; Martin, Marv, James, .Tnhn, Katie, Patrick, Annie
and Michael Francis.

LOUIS DILLEK, proprietor of the Putnam Hotel at Highland
Falls, N. Y., is a native of Alsace-Ix)raine, where he was born in 1863.
He came to America in 188f), and secured M'ork at his trade as a contract-
inc; mason nntil 1895, when he secured possession of his i:)resent business.
Mr. Diller was married, April aCth, 1893, to Kate Pifer, and they have
a family of thi'ee children: Rose, Mary and Lucy. Louis Diller is a
wide-awake business man and is very prosperous.

ROBERT IvYLE ARMSTRONG, Highland Falls, N. Y., undoubt-
edly the most famous breeder and trainer of dogs living, was born in the
south of England of Scotch parentage, in 1867. He early evinced those
traits, which have since won him renown upon two continents, for when
but a child he secured a shejiherd dog and so cleverly trained it that at
a celebrated exhibition in England he won the fii-st prize over some of the
finest stock in the country. With increasing years he rapidly acquired
renown as a dog ti'ainer, and soon had charge of some of the most noted
kennels of England. He had the Prince of Wales' kennel, also those
of the Duke of Clarence, Lord Downe, the Grand Duke of Hesse Darm-
stadt and others iinder his care. Li 1891 he came to America and took
charge of J. P. Morgan's kennels at Highland Falls, X. Y. Here R. K.
Anustrong can be seen surrounded by his favorite breed (the
Scotch collies), and nowhere else in the world can such fine
canines of this kind be found. Hi' has collies ranging in
price from $1,000 to $8,000, an<l a large number of them
at that. Collies which have carried off all the leading ]irizes at the exhi-
bitions in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Detroit, etc.,
generally making a clean sweep of every prize in the class. During one
season Mr. Armstrong took 63 fii-st prizes out of a possible 64 and 48
of the second prizes as well. ]\[any of these fine dogs have been bred by
him, and in this he has secured most wonderful results in color and style.
Robert Kyle Armstrong is in direct descent from the old border cattle
dealers renowned in history as The Armstrongs, who seldom lost a liat-
tle or a chance at their neighbors' fat herds; such was the custom of the
times in which they lived and flourished. They were "promoters" in

BIOGRAPHICAL. 73

their clay and generation. His father, Edward Armstrong, was also a
noted trainer of dogs and is well known thronghont England. Robert
Kyle Armstrong is a very conrteons and pleasant man to meet, he lo\'es
his pets; yon can see it in the sparkle of his eyes when he is pointing ont
to you some particular favorite. There is one sagacious old fellow who,
when released from his quarters in the kennel, makes a bee line for the
front veranda of J. Pierpont Morgan's home, eagerly looking for the
great iinancier. If he can find ^h: Morgan he is happy and nothing will
induce him to leave but a direct command from his master. Robert
Kyle Armstrong is identified with the Masonic brotherhood, 23(5, Phelps-
town; with the Elks, 247, Newburgh, and the K. of P., 305, High-
land Palis.

THE NEW YORK MILITARY ACADEMY. This Academy is
situated three-fourths of a mile from the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson
and one-half of a mile from the Hudson river on a beautiful estate of
twenty-nine acres, elevated, level and under a high state of cultivation.
There are upon the Academy grounds sloping and well kept lawns, fine
old ti-ees, two beautiful athletic fields, tennis courts and ball grounds.
The buildings of the Academy are handsome, ample, well constrneted,
lighted by electricity, heated by steam and supplied with an abundance
of pure water from a. spring-fed reservoir high in the mountains. The
eqni]iment of the school includes a library of more than five thousand
vohinies, modern chemical and physical laboratories, manual training
shops, studios, etc. As a seat of learning the ISTew York Military Acad-
emy is a chartered school of the University of the State of Xew York
and is officially classed as an Academy, the highest grade of pn'paratory
schools. The discipline is distinctly military and the Academy is non-
sectarian. It has been for many years an unusually successful school,
with an attendance limited only by the capacity of the buildings. Bard
nail, the junior department, is for boys under fourteen years of age and
is practically a separate school with its own buildings, eqni]inient and
grounds. The Academic Department receives boys from fonrtcen to
twenty-one years of age and offers in addition to the usual college pre-
paratory courses a Practical Course which includes instrnction in ilan-
ual Training, Mechanical Drawing, Art, the Sciences, e^tc. The Acad-
emy is represented by its graduates in neai-ly all the larger schools and

74 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

iiniversitips of the country, as well as in the professions and hnsiness life.
The faculty, with Sebastian C. Jones, C. E., Suixn-intendent, includes
some of the best known and most successful educators of the State. The
United States Government details to the Institution an officer of the
Army who acts as Professor of Military Science and Tactics and directs
the military work of the Institution.

JAMES A. LEE, County Engineer of Rockland coimty, was bom
in England, March 31, 1861. He was very thoroughly educated for his
profession, first at preparatory schools, and the South Kensington Sci-
ence and Art School, and finally graduated from Trinity College, Lon-
don. In 1883 Mr. Lee came to Canada under engagement with the en-
gineering department of the Canadian Government, by whom he was
sent west to survey town lines, etc. When the Canada Pacific R. R.
was under construction he was appointed assistant engineer of that rail-
road, and upon its completion, in 1888, came to Congers to lay out the
town. Since then he has surveyed and laid out numerous important vil-
lages and localities, such as Euclid, N. J., Demarest, JST. J., Midway,
Mass., etc., etc. He ran for State Engineer on the Bryan ticket in 1899,
and with the rest of the ticket was defeated that year. His family con-
sists of wife, formerly Miss Mary J. T. Davidson, daughter of Alexan-
der Davidson, of Inverness, Scotland, hereditary chief of the Davidson
clan. Mr. Lee has three children living: John Alexander, Edith Maud
Ellen and Douglas Grant Vincent. He lost one boy, Janios Alfred, Jr.
Mr. Lee was appointed County Engineer of Rockland county in 1899.
He is organist of the R. C. Clmrch of Congers.

H. A. HICKS was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., October 7th, 1872. He
attended the Brooklyn schools and after leaving school took charge of a
newspaper route for his father, who was an extensive dealer in station-
ery and p)rinting. This our subject conducted for twelve years. In the
meantime his father had purchased a farm at Valley Cottage, and in
1890 they moved on to it. In 1898 on Thanksgiving evening, Mr. Hicks
was married to Maggie Tremper. On the 14th of April, 1901, Mr.
Hicks, Sr., died. He had conducted a store at Valley Cottage for some
years prior to his death. This is now conducted by his widow, who is
also Postmistress of Valley Cottage, having been appointed to that oflice

BIOGRAPHICAL. 75

in 1001. Mr. ITicks deals in coal and is ongagod in licavy carting and
fanning. He is a tliormiglily npright and reliable citizen in every sense.

GEORGE ESSLINGER was born in the city of Newark, N. J.,
June 4tli, 1864. His first practical ideas of engineering were secured
upon steamboats upon which he was employed in the engineering depart-
ment for five or six years. lie was then employed by the Weehawken
Elevator Company for a period of three years and for the following
fourteen years was engineer for tlie Hudson Electric Light Company.
In 1900 he accepted a responsible position with the Rockland Light and
Power Company of Orangeburg, N. Y. On June 15th, 1902, he
resigned his position as General Manager of repair shops of the Rock-
land Electric Light Company and accepted a position with the Ciiarles
E. Dustin Comjiany, manufacturers of engines and motors, as General
Manager for their entire plant at Orangeburg. He was married in 1884
to Mary E. McGuire. He is a member of the National Engineers' Asso-
ciation, No. 5, and is a very competent, faithful and reliable engineer,
and is highly regarded wherever known.

OSCAR D. BANTA was born in Tappan September 32d, 1880.
He attended the public schools, after leaving which he learned the
plunil)ing trade. Our subject early exhibited mechanical and inventive
skill, and soon observing that there was considerable demand for exer-
cising devices, commenced manufacturing specialties in a small way.
His productions immediately "took" with the public, and in 1900 he
erected a neat and convenient factory and plant in Sparkill, costing sev-
eral thousand dollars, in which he produces his special line of exercising
apparatiis in considerable quantities. He supplies such prominent houses
as Siegel, Cooper A: Co., and many others in New Yoi'k, besides having
agents throughout the State. Mr. Banta has achieved remarkable suc-
cess for so young a man and we predict a very successful future for him
in his business.

SCHNEIDER & NOE, Congers, N. Y. Both members of this
enterprising firm of florists are natives of Germany. They established
the business about ten years ago and have occupied their present eligible
premises for the past four years. They grow carnations and pinks exclu-
sively and they ship their prodiietious to New York city. Mr. Schnei-

76 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

tier's family consists of wife, fomierly Miss Louisa Schiller, and three
children: Eose, Tillie and John. Mr. Schneider belongs to the organ-
ization of Red Men. Mr. !Noe's wife was Miss Freda Schiller. The
greenhouses owned by this firm cover a number of lots and have 8,000
square feet of glass. They are the most extensive grcenhonses in this
vicinity. Both of the gentlemen are highly respected as straightforward
business men and good citizens.

ALEXANDER YOUNG was born at Poughkoepsie, N. Y., Octo-
ber 17, 1879. When an infant his pai-ents removed to West Haver-
straw, their fonner home, and where the family have since resided. Hia
education was acquired in the schools of that place, after which
he entered the employ of his father, who for years had conducted
one of the leading grocery stores in West Haverstraw. Alexander
Young, Sr., was born in West Havei-straw and with the exception of a
short residence in Ponghkeepsie, always lived there. He married Anna
Polhemus, of Poughkoepsie. Their family consisted of three children:
Alexander, Jr., William P. and Harry T. Mrs. Young died in May,
1894, and Alexander Yoimg, Sr., died in May, 1900. Alexander
Young, the subject of this sketch, as administrator of his fatlicr's estate,
has demonstrated his executive ability in tlie care and managpment of
the estate, and has sho\\ni marked ability in the commercial field. He
is an energetic, enterprising, successful young business man, wlio with
the assistance of his two brothers, William and Harry, conduct tlic l)us-
iness which their father started, and have, to a great extent, added to
their patronage and widened their field of o]>erations.

WILLIAM II. DRAUDT. Every resident of Jones's Point and
the majority of the people of the sTirrounding country are well
acquainted with the proprietor of the principal mercantile establishment
at that place. His affability and uprightness have made him an influen-
tial man in his community and brought to him a large part of the trade
of the section. The Di'a.udt family originated in Germany. The father
of our subject, George Draudt, who was bom in that country, emigrated
to America at the age of about eighteen years, and from that time made
his home in Rockland county, his death occurring in Tond'iins Cove.
Very soon after his arrival he entered tlie employ of the Tomkins Cove
Stone Company, and such was his efficiency and reliability that he was

BIOGRAPHICAL. 77

retained in their emiiloy as foreman for more than fifty years. TTe was
a trust worthy man and sncc^ssfnl in superintending worlvuien. His
widow, Mary Jane (Lent) Draudt, still malves her home in Tonikins
Cove. Of tlieir family of three sons and three daughters, we note the
following: William II., our suhject, is the eldest; George is weigh-
master of the Tomkins Cove Stone Company; Susan L. is the wife of
James A. DeC.roat; Caroline married Eev. E. S. Ilulsart, and lives in
Pittshurgh, Pa.; John is a resident of Nyack, and Sidonia resides at
Tarrytowu. In the village of Tomkins Cove, where he was bom July
19, 1851, W. II. Draudt was reared to manhood, and there he attended
the common schools. Ho was a diligent student and became so profi-
cient that he was fitted for the position of instructor. For a time he was
assistant in the school that he had previously attended, and subsequently
he taught in the Sufferu schools for two years. He then went to Xew
York city and engaged with John W. Avery in a store where were kept
all kinds of furnishings for pilots. During the seven years he was
employed there he made himself valuable to his employer, whose bus-
iness he succeeded in enlarging considerably. When James A. DeGroat
wished to seciire the services of some one of ability and honesty to whom
he coiild look for active assistance in the management of his increasing
business in gi-avel, cobbles and sand, he so\ight Mr. Draudt, but the
latt-cr, having a good position, at first refused to make a change. After
having been importuned several times, however, he consented to accept
the offer and came to Jones's Point, where he took a position as book-
keeper and general manager for Mr. DeGroat. Subsequently he pur-
chased the latter's general store business, which he has since conducted,
having a large trade among the people of this locality. He still con-
tinues to keep books for Mr. DeGroat, and is also the Postmaster for the
village. For a time after entering the employ of Mr. DeGroat ilr.
Draudt lived in Tomkins Cove, but now makes his home in Jones's
Point. He is married, his wife being Ophelia, daughter of Mr. John
Sullivan, of Haverstraw. In political matters he gives his allegiance to
the Repiiblican party, and is interested in local public affairs. Socially
he is connected with Cortlandt Lodge, No. G, I. O. O. F., at Peekskill,
and Mt. Ararat Encampment, No. fl, of Peekskill, and lona Lodge, No.
128, K. of P., of Haverstraw.

78 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

"WILLIAM L. SLOAT was born in the old Sloat homestead, Sloats-
biirg, June 2-i, 1824. He received a fair education in the schools of his
native village and in Ramaijo. Stephen Sloat, the father of onr sub-
ject, was an active man of affairs, a prominent fanner and a widely
known manufacturer. He came here upon the death of his father,
from Paramas, N. J., where he conducted a woolen mill for many years.
His father, Isaac, had accumulated a considerable estate at Sloatsburg,
and it is said was an heir to an immensely valuable estate, inchuling
land in New York, on which Trinity Church now stands. Soon after
his return to Sloatsburg (his birth place) Stephen Sloat erected a grist
mill at that place, which he conducted for a time, and shortly thereafter
he, with Dr. Westervelt, of Statcn Island, fonncd a co-partnership with
Jacob Sloat, brother of Stephen, and others, for the purjjose of manu-
facturing cotton twine. This establishment ultimately grew to large
proportions, giving employment to from seventy to eighty hands the
year round. The success of the twine factory was undoubtedly due, to a
great extent, to the skillful management of William L. Sloat, our sub-
ject, who, as manager of the concern, suceeded, in the five years in
which the mill was in operation, in placing it iipon a solid financial basis.
This mill ranked highly among the manufacturing institutions in south-
eastern Xew York. Of the owners of this mill Stephen Sloat died in IStil
and his brother Jacob in 1865. For a nmnber of years succeeding his
connection with the twine manufactory our subject was engaged in fann-
ing on land he purchased near Suffern. He then returned to Sloatsburg
and purchased the general store owned by the Sloatsburg Manufacturing
Company, which he conducted for about eighteen years, following which
he erected a new store building, to which he removed his stock of goods
and established his son there as proprietor. He then purchased the old
homestead in which he resides to-day. September 21st, 1851, he was
united in marriage with Mary A. Whritenour, of Sloatsburg, who died
December I7th, 1888, leaving two children, Fred, now in Paterson, N".
J., and Emeline, who died March 3d, 1895. Mr. Sloat took for his
second wife Mary E. VanderhotT, of Sloatsburg. They were married
December 18th, 1901.

MEYEK BAEK is a native of Xew York city, born November, 18G0,
attended the j^ublic schools there until about fifteen years of age, when
he accepted a jiosition with a large wholesale shirt house in that city.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 79

From the lowest position, tliat (if errand lioy, lie gradually worked up
until finally lie beeanie superintendent of the cutting department, a
responsible position, requiring a thorovigh knowledge of the entire bus-
iness, which his jiractical experience, gained in different branches of
the work, amply titted him for. He occupied the position until 1888,
when he was tendered a government position in the New York post office,
from which he resigned after .serving some four j'eai's. In 1802 he
accepted the position of Superintendent of the two wholesale houses in
New York and Brooklyn for a large Bi'ooklyn liquor firm. After remain-
ing with this firm for two years, he opened a wholesale liquor estab-
lishment of his own in Brooklyn, which he conducted successfully until
1898, when he removed to Nyack and established a similar business here.
The business has grown and prospered and is to-day one of the solid con-
cerns of the city. Mr. Baer is Past Grand of the I. O. O. F. and Past
Chancellor Commander of Knights of Pythias, and is also a member of
F. S. of I. His family consists of wife, fonuerly Gertnide Loeroy, of
New York city, and one child, a sou, Lawrence Ileniy, born in March,
1809.

HAERY E. ELSWOBTH is a native of Clarkstown, born Novem-
ber 2, 1855, and when five years of age his parents moved to Mousey.
He attended the public school of Mousey, a private school of Prof. Litte-
brant of Spring Valley and the Sparkill Institute of Sparkill, N. Y.
In 1875 he went to New York and took a position as clerk in an insur-
ance broker's office, which position he held until the spring of 1884,
when he returned to Mousey to assist his father in his duties as Post-
master. In 1889 he succeeded his father as Postmaster, retaining that
office during tlie administration of President Harrison, and was again
ap])ointed under the administration of President McKinley and holds
the ofiice at the present time, and is also assistant agent for the Erie
Railroad at Mousey. His father, Samuel G. Elsworth, was a native of
Rockland county and followed the trade of wheelwright at Knapp's
Corners until 18G1, when he came to Mousey and oiiened a retail gro-
cery. His first appointment as Postmaster came in the early fifties
at what was then called Nyack Tunipike. This office has been
long since discontinued. He was Postmaster at Mousey for more than
twenty years. Harry E. Elsworth has been a member of the Board of

80 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Education, Foreman and Secretary of the Brewer Fire Engine Company
ISTo. 1, of Monsey, and a member of Amity Lodge of Odd Fellows at
Spring Valley.

JOHN J. HALEY was born in New York June Gtli, 1«G0. His
education was acquired in the public schools of that city and at Pack-
ard's Commercial College, from which he graduated in 1877. In 1885
]\Ir. Haley went west and for five years ranched on the Star Bar B.
Bange, in the Milk Kiver district of Montana. After leaving the ranch
he became interested in oil fields at McDonalds, Ohio, where he remained
about a year; then he sold his interests and for a time was located in
Pittsburgh. He next accepted a position as assistant agent for the Erie
Kailrond and was stationed at Greycourt, N. Y. From there he was
transferred to Ridgew(X)d, N. J., where he remained some time. After
a few years' seiwice in this capacity at various points along the com-
pany's line, he was finally, in 189G, assigned to the position of Station
Agent at Ramapo, in Rockland county, which he now holds. Since
1881) Mr. Haley has also been the Postmaster of the village. He is a
mend)er of Onward Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Suffeni. In 1893 Mr. Haley
was united in marriage with Anna May Allison of Middletowu, N. Y.,
and they have one child, Juliet M.

EDWARD C. RIPLEY was bom September 25tli, 1857, at St.
John's, Canada, and attended the public schools of that place until
twelve years of age, when he, with his parents, removed to North Adams,
Mass. He attended the schools of the latter place until about seventeen
years of age, and then entered the employ of the James Hunter
Machine Co., of North Adams, where he learned the hardware business,
remaining with this finn some three yeare. He then accepted a ijosition
with the Troy and Greenfield R. R. and Hoosic TTumel, where he had
charge of the supply department at North Adams. He remained with
this company seven years; severing his connection with the coni])any he
then opened a retail grocery in North Adams, and after conducting
this establishment a few months, he sold out to advantage. In 1889 he
received an offer fri>m the South Atlantic and Ohio R. R. Co., of a clerk-
ship in their Bristol, Tennessee, office. He accepted this position but in
three months from that time he came to Hillbum and took charge of the
shipping department of the Ramapo Irou Works, which position he now

BIOGRAPHICAL. 81

liolds. October 21st, 1885, lie was niarried to Miss Minnie L. Darling,
of North Adams, Mass. Mr. Ripley i.s the Postmaster of the village of
Ilillhuni, having lieen a])iioiiited to that office December 8th, 1900. He
has served as Excise Commissioner for the town of Eajuapo, is a mem-
ber of Lafayette Lodge, F. and A. M., of North Adams, and of Enivka
Chapter, R. A. M., of Sntfern, and is also a member of Terry Conncil,
F. and A. ]\L, of Paterson, N. J. He is a member of Hudson River
Commandory, Knights Templar, of Newbiirgh, and of Mecca Temple,
Mystic Shrine, of New York, and is one of the Board of Directors of the
Raniapo Building and Loan Association of Snifern, N. Y. His fatlioi",
E. H. Rii^ley, sjient the early years of his life at St. John's Canada,
where for many years he owned and operated a custom carding mill. He
is now living a retired life in North Adams.

ARTHUR W. DUTCHER, of Haverstraw, N. Y., was born at that
place Febniary 29th, 1854. His education was obtained in the schools
of Haverstraw, both public and private and the old Haverstraw Acad-
emy. After leaving school, at the age of sixteen, he was employed for
some two or three years in a fruit store. He then took \ip his stvidies
again, pursuing them for a year or two in a private school. The two
years following he assisted his father, who at that time operated a stage
lino out of Haverstraw. After a few years employment at various occu-
pations, accumulating meanwhile a small capital and a fimd of practical
experience, he purchased, on September 1st, 1889, the furniture bus-
iness of Leonard Cooper, of Haverstraw. This business he is conduct-
ing to-day and in connection therewith he also conducts an undertaking
establishment, which he started in February, 1897. Mr. Dutcher is a
thorough, practical, business man. His business is in a flourishing con-
dition, is constantly increasing in volume, and is withal a credit to the
energy and business accunien of the owner. June 28, 1882, he mar-
ried Kezia Ida Brooks, of Philadelphia, daughter of George W. Brooks,
of that city. They have had seven children, of whom six are living:
Harvey A., George B., Lulu M., Blanch M., Walter (dead), Leonard C.
and Ida K. ]\Ir. Dutcher is Justice of the Peace, having been elected to
that office in 1898, on the Republican ticket, and was the only candidate
elected ou the Republican ticket at that time.

82 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY,

GEORGE E. KNAPP was born at Stony Point, N. Y., Janizary 18,
1858. His education was obtained in the public s^chools of New York,
from which he was graduated in 1873. Aftt'r taking a course in the
Pennsylvania Xonnal School, he began teaching and from 1877 to
1887 taught in the public schools of Sloatsburg and Stony Point. In
1887 he was elected School Commissioner for Eockland county and
ser\ed one term of three years very creditably. He was also at this
time elected Justice of the Peace, which office he filled for eight years.
In 1897 Mr. Knapp was ai^pointed Deputy County Treasurer under
Treasui"er John M. Hasbrovick, remaining in that office until the expira-
tion of the tenn, in 1900, and in August, 1901, upon the death of
Agent H. M. Babcock, he was appointed Agent for the Xorth liiver
. Steamboat Company at Havei-straw, which office he now occupies. In
1878 Mr. Knapp married Emma Christie, daughter of John D. Christie,
of Ilaverstraw. They have one sou, Frank F., now with the Continental
Jewel Filtration Company of New York as stenographer. Mr. Knapjj's
father, George Knapp, was a native of Kockland county, as was also
his ancestors for a considerable time previous to thelievolutionary period.
Coming from Connecticut, where this branch of the Knapp family
originally settled, (they came here about the middle of the seventeenth
century). George Knapj), Sr., was born at Stony Point in 1816 and died
in 1900. His wife, Mary Thiell, was a granddaughter of John Thiell,
who previous to 1800 settled on land not far from Ilaverstraw on the
New Jersey and New York Railroad, embracing one thousand acres, and
including what is now the village of Thiells. This jiroperty has since
passed out of the hands of the family. Mary Thiell Knajip died in 1880,
aged sixty-seven years.

STEPHEN J. DE BAUN was born at Middletown, N. Y., Novem-
ber 20, 1855. His education was obtained at the Mountain Institute
at Haverstraw, where his parents removed shortly after his birth. The
first two or three yeai"s after leaving school he passed as clerk in a Haver-
straw grocery. He then took a position as errand boy with the National
Bank of Havei-straw, in 1872, one year following the organization of the
bank, and has since then been identified with this baidc, holding the
A'aridus positions from the lowest to that of cashier, which he now occu-
]iies. It is safe to say that no man in Ilaverstraw holds, to a greater
extent, the esteem and confidence of the people, than does Mr. DeBaun,

BIOGRAPHICAL. 83

who lias for so long a time served faithfully and well the concern in which
lie now holds so responsible a position. His family consists of his wile,
fonnerly Adelaide Milburn, daughter of Isaac Milburn, of Haverstraw,
to whom he was married in 1884, and they have four children: Milburn,
the eldest, is with the Borden Condensed ililk Company of New York;
Stephen J., Jr., Arthur Wilson and Mary Adelaide are at home. His
father, Garrett DeBaun, was born in Rockland county, near Suifern.
His mother was Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of Stephen Johnson, of
Eamapo. They have for years resided in Haverstraw, where Mr. De-
Baun is engaged in the retail confectionery business. They recently cel-
ebrated their fifty-fourth marriage anniversaiy.

WILLIAM A. FULTON was burn in Kliinebeck, N. Y., and while
an infant his parents removed to Nyack. He attended the Nyack public
schools. Mr. Fulton was the first Superintendent of Water Works,
occupying that position the year following its passing into the control
of the city. He is a member in good standing of the I. O. O. F. of
Nyack.

LOUIS ECKSTEIN was born June i-i, 1846, in the village of
Sterndorf, Hessian Darmstadt, Genuany. At the age of ten he came
with his parents to America, landing in New York June 23, 1856. They
camo directly to Havei-straw the following day, where Mr. Eckstein
has since resided and where his parents ended their days. Shortly after
their anuval in Ilaveretraw, Louis Eckstein obtained employment in.
a cigar manufactory, where he learned the tobacco business in all its
branches. Mr. Eckstein established his present business at 37 Main
street, Haverstraw, N. Y., August 3, 1871, and has continued in the
same business at tlie same location thirty-one years, making him one of
three of the oldest merchants on Main street, in that place. In 1875 he
was united in marriage with Miss Mary Katie Baicr, daughter of Peter
and Caroline Baier of Brooklyn, N. Y. There have been born to them
four children, two of whom, Charles and Cyrillns, died, each at the age
of eleven months. The two living are Bertha, born June 26, 1879, and
Clarence L., born June 15, 1892. Michael Eckstein, the father of
Louis, died about four years ago, aged 79 years. His wife, Louis Eck-
stein's mother, died in 1876, aged 56 years. Mrs. Eckstein's father,
Peter Baier, <lied in Brooklyn many years ago, and was soon followed

84 HISTO^y OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

by liis wife, who was at one time a well kiiowu lady pliy«ieiaii of Urook-
lyn. Mr. Eckstein is a charter member of the lona Lodge, Knights of
Pythias. He, with Alonzo Bedell, of Haverstraw, were the two prime
movers in the establishing of this lodge, and have, since its organiza-
tion, been to a considerable extent responsible for its present excellent
standing as a lodge. He is also a charter member of the D. O. H., and
is an exempt fireman.

FRANK 13. PALMER was born in Green county, New York,
Jnly 31st, 1852. He attended flie schools in the neighborhood, the
Coxsackie Academy and the Fort Edward Listitnte, graduating from
the latter institution in 1808. His bu.siness experience began as a clerk
in a Brooklyn drug store, where he remained six years. He then took
a similar position in a Glen Cove, L. I., drug store, and in four years
purchased the business, which he conducted about ten years, sold out
and returned to Brooklyn. There he opened a drug store and ran it for
a time and also opened and conducted a drug store in New York, both
of which he finally sold and spent the following five or six years in trav-
eling for a New York drug house. In July, 1899, he came to Spring
Valley and embarked in the drug business at his present location. In
1879 he married Ella Hunt, of Glen Cove, L. I., who died in 1889.
They had four children: Everett E., WaiTen, Melville and Jeanette.
Mr. Palmer married a second time in 1899, May E. Spencer, of Brook-
lyn, N. Y. Mr. Palmer is a member of the Royal Arcanum. His
father, Gari-ison Palmer, was a native of Greene comity, N. Y., wdiose
occupation through life was farming and in later years he supplied the
New York market with large quantities of ice. He was also a prominent
factor in local politics. His death occurred in 189G, and his wife, Re-
becca Powell Palmer, died in 1890.

DIEDRICH A. HEIUGERD is a native of Gemiany, having been
born at Manslag'e, Province of Hanover, September 22, 1843. In
1857 he left his native land for America, arriving in New York on the
28th of August of that year. He soon secured a clerkship in a woolen
jobbing house located at the comer of William and Ann streets. New
York. He remained with this concern ten years, and in 1868 in com-
pany with his brother AVilliam established the well known firm of D &
W. Heidgerd, jobbers in woolens, at 274 Canal street, New York. This

BIOGRAPHICAL. 8S

finii continued in Imsiness until 1880, when it was dissolved by nnitunl
consent. Shortly after this Mr. Heidgerd, owing to ill health, removed
to Monsoy, Rockland county, where, in the course of time, he purchased
four or five hnndr(>d acres of land, which he has improved to
such an extent that it is today one of the model stock farms of Rock-
land county, beautifully located, with commodious buildings a.nd lying
as it docs partly within the limits of the village of Monsey, is an object
of gratification and pride to the citizens as well as to its owner.
Mr. ITeidgerd has made many extensive imjirovements of a public
nature at his own expense in the neighborhood, among wdiich maj' be
mentioned the building of several miles of highway, and the reclaiming
of unsanitary lands. Mr. ITeidgerd is in the widest sense a public spir-
ited citizen, having contributed largely to the growth and advancement
■of both Monsey and Spring Valley, and was instrumental in many ways
in making Monsey the thriving village that it is to-day. Mr. Ileidgcrd
married in 1S7G Anna Maria Wissman, also of Hanover, and they have
two sons snr\nving, Diedricli Ct., aged 22, and Arnold, aged 16.

CHARLES V. VAN BUSKIRK was born in Bergen county, N. J.,
January 28th, 1804. He attended the schools in the vicinity of his
home and at Monsey until thirteen years of age, when his pannits
removed to Spring Valley. In 1877 he, with Ilenrj^ Zabriskie, went to
New York and opened a general commission store on Jay street. They
conducted this establishment three years, when Mr. VanBuskirk sold
his interest to his partner and returned to Spring Valley. June 25lli,
1898, he was united in marriage with Mrs. Loretta Person Wood, daugh-
ter of ilatthew Person, of Spring Valley. She has one child, Miss Irene
"Wood. At the November election of 1901, Mr. VanBuskirk was elected
Constable of Rockland county on the Republican ticket, and in the
spring of 1902 was ajijKiintcd Deputy Sheriff by Sheriff Weiant. His
father, John 1). Van Buskirk, was born at Saddle River, N. J., January
25th, 18P,9. ITis life was devoted to agricultural pursuits at Saddle
River until the later years, wdicn he lived in retirement at
Spring Valley until his death, November 6th, 1893. His wife, Mrs.
Anna DeRonde Van Buskirk, was a daughter of Henry DeRonde, of
Spring Valley. She was born January 24th, 1842, and died April 1.5th,
1888. They had four children: ^Margaret, wife of Charies T. Seaman,

86 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

of Spring Valley; Christina, wife of Irving Bogert, of RidgewooJ, N.
J. ; Charles C. Van Buskirk and Miss Gertrude Van Bnskirk.

SAMUEL BLANCHARD, of Monscy, was born at Hempstead, IST.
Y., FebrTiary 18th, 1855. His education was acquired in the Hempstead
schools. At seventeen years of age he went to Highland Falls and took
up the blacksmith trade with his uncle, Samuel Brooks, which he fol-
lowed for six years. He then went to West Point, leased a farm near
that place, and in connection Avith the work of the farm, did a general
blacksmithing business. He remained there two years, and in the early
spring of 1880 removed with his family to Monsey. Here he purchased
the carriage maniifactory of Levi Shcrwortd, which he has rebuilt and
otherwise materially improved. In addition to a general jobbing bus-
iness Mr. Blanchard manufactures carriages and light wagons, and his
repository is always well stocked with vehicles of every description. Mr
Blanchard has been a trustee of the Board of Education for several terms
and also one of the directors of the Orangeburg Agricultural and Horti-
cultural Society, and he has been at different periods Vice-President of
the Spring Valley and also of the jSTew City Agricultural Societies. In
1879 he married Ella Van Voorhees, daiighter of Samuel Van Voor-
hees, of Highland Falls. She died in Febrxiarv, 1882, leaving two
children, Howard and Frederick. In ISSfi Mr. Blanchard took for his
second wife Clara Gurnee, daughter of John J. Gurnee, of Monsey,
N. Y. They have four children, George IL, Elwood P., Clifford and
Edna May. Mr. Blanchard's business establishment comprises four large
buildings, nartiely, a carnage shop, a blacksmith shop, a paint shop and
a carriage repository, and is the largest business of the kind in the
county. His fine residence was fonnerly the home of Mi\ D. A. Heid-
gerd and he also owns considerable other real estate in the town. The
parents of ilr. Blanchard were James and Eliza Brooks Blanchard, both
natives of Rockland county. The father was a prominent fanner near
Spring Valley and also a large owner of woodlands in the town of Ilav-
erstraw. He died at the age of 65, leaving his wife and the following
sons and daughters: Emma; Catherine, married James Serven of Hem-
stead; Mary, married Brewster Staltor, of Stony Point; John, who mai'-
ried Lavina Conklin, of Viola; Samuel, who married as above; Oliver,
who married Virginia Ames of Jersey City; Warren, who married Anna

BIOGRAPHICAL. 87

Blaiivclt, of Spring Valley; Sarah, married Everett A. Cooper of Siif-
fern, and James.

PETER VAN HOUTEN was born in Rockland coiintv, near Spring
Valley, November 8tb, 18.37. His ediication was obtained in the public
schools of Sjiring Valley and he also attended the Grove street school,
New York. When sixteen years of age he left school and for the two
years following assisted his father on the fami. In 1855 he went to
Haverstraw, where he l)egan learning the carjienter's trade, which he
followed at Haverstraw and Spring Valley for about five years. In
1861 he opened a retail meat market in Spring Valley and followed
this business for .some two years, when he took the position of foreman
of the distillery fanu located near Spring Valley, which he managed
two years. In 1877 he remove<l to Monsey and opened a hotel, which
he has since successfully conducted. In 1S65 he was united in mar-
riage with Adeline Sherwood, daughter of Levi Sherwood, of Monsey.
They have four children : Charles, who lives at Englewood, N. J. ; Mar-
tha, married to Robert Safford, of New York; John L., now living at
Union Hill, N. J., and Glode R., of Monsey. Mr. Van Houten has been
town collector for the past six years.

JOHN R. VAN WYCK, a well to do and thrifty farmer of R..ek-
land county, has a splendid tract of land eighty acres in extent, which
lies near Blauvelt, and he is well kno^^^l as one of the most successful
farmers in the vicinity. He was bom at Flatbush, L. I., June 2Gth,
1866, where he attended the public school, and after leaving school fol-
lowed farming in Long Island up to 189.3, when he removed to Rockland
county and settled on his present fann near Blauvelt, where he still
resides. Mr. Van Wyck was married, January 21st, 1800, to Maiy
Whittichar, a daughter of James Whittichar, of Canarsie, L. I. Their
family consists of three children: Annie, bom 1891; Ida, bom 1S9:5;
and George, born 1895. As a citizen John R. Van Wyck is progressive,
able and honorable, and although in no sense of the term an office seeker,
is interested in all measures calculated to improve his commimity. In
politics he is a Republican and invariably votes for the candidates of
that party. George Van "Wyck, father of our subject, was born at .Terico,
L. I., and later in life moved to Paxton, Ma.ss., where he follows farming.
He has a family of five children, all living, viz.: John (our subject),

88. HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Susan, Margaret, George Jr., and ilamie. Susan is married to Louis
S. Clapp, farmer, Paxton, Mass.; Margaret is niamed to John Cather-
wood, mail carrier, Paxton; George, Jr., is married to Freda IJlatz, farm-
ing witli fatlier; Mamie, single and living at home.

S. S. GAPTER, M. D., was horn in Venango county, Pennsylvania.
He received his preliminary education at Grove City, Pa., and is a grad-
uate of the Grove City College. After teaching school for ahout
four years in Dempseytown, Pa., he entered the Long Island Gol-
lege at Brooklyn, from which he graduated in medicine in IS'Jo. He
then settled at Ashland, N. Y., and after practicing there for three
years removed to ILiverstraw and opened the office which he now occu-
pies. In ISOf) Dr. Garter was elected Coroner of Greene county, Xew
York State, and held that office until he tendered his resignation in
l.'^DS, upon removing to Haver.'^traw. He is a memher of the Xew York
State ^ledical Association and the (Jreene County Medical Society, also
a member of the Masons, Odd Fellows and the Independent Order of
Foresters. In the short time in which lie has been in Haverstraw Dr.
Carter has built up a lucrative and constantly increa.sing practice, which
has lieen accomplished through close application and exceptional skill
in his chosen profession.

GEORGE A. LEITNER, M. D., a native of Piermont, attended
the public schools of that place until ten years of age, when he entered
the St. Joseph's Academy of ]\ledicine at Madison, X. J. At twelve
years of age he entered the St. John College at Fonlham, X. Y. In
1S85, .seven years from the time of entering, he received the degree of
Bachelor of Arts, and three years later, at the same college, he received
the degree of Master of Arts. In March, 1888, he received his medical
degree from the Bellevue Medical College. During 1888 and 1889
he served as house physician and surgeon at St. Francis' Hospital, Xew
York, and in 1890 he removed to Piermont and o])ened his pi-esent office.
Dr. Leitner has served as Coroner for Rockland county, and has for the
past ten years filled the office of Health Officer for the town of Orange-
town. He is attending physician for St. Agnes's Orphan Asyhrni at
Spnrkill and also St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum at Blanvelt, and is one
of the attending physicians of the Xyaek Hospital. Dr. Leitner is a
learned and successful physician and has a large and constantly growing

BIOGRAPHICAIv. 89

prnotioo. ITc is a momhor of the Royal Arcanum, tlio Foresters of
Ainerion ami the Tvnigiits of Columbus. In 1894 he manned Miss Maud
Carrillo, of Grand View, IST. Y. Tliree children have blessed their
married life, Cecelia, Charles Bertrand and Elizabeth.

FRANK E. PAGETT, M. D., was born at Spring Valley, May 27,
1S7;3; was educated in the public schools of Spring Valley and also
attended Packard's College of Xew York. At about eighteen years of
age he went into the office of McKim, Mead &" White, New York archi-
tects, lie remained with them only a portion of a year and entered the
College of PJiysieians and Surgeons in New York, gxaduating from
there in ISOG. The following year he devoted to hospital work. In
1807 he came to Spring Valley and began practicing as a physician and
surgeon. In June, ISDS, he was united in marriage with Elizabetli M.
Pitts, daughter of "William P. Pitts, of Ilaverstraw. They have two chil-
dren, AVilliam Roome Pitts and Lyman ix'wis. Dr. Pagett is a meml)er
of the county medical society and of tlie State Medical Association, llc^
is railroad surgeon and member of the Erie R. R. Surgeons' Association,
has lieen the village Health Officer and is now visiting physician to the
county house. He is a memlter of the Spring Valley Lodge of Slasons,
the Royal Ai-cannm and the Foresters of America, being court physician
to the two latter societies. lie is also one of the staff of the New York
Eye and Ear Infirmary. His father, Henry L. Pagett, is a native of
New York city. In early life he conducted an undertaking establish-
ment in that city, aftenvard taking up the occui)ation of ]iainter and dec-
orator, which he followed until some thirty years ago, wlien he retired
from active life and has since resided with his son, the subject of
this sketch.

NICHOLAS B. VAN IIOHTEN, M. D., was born in Livingston
county, N. Y., where he attended public scliool. He later attended the
higli school of Mt. Morris and also todk private lessons from different pro-
fessors, perfecting himself in the languages. He then entered Columbia
College, taking his degree from tlie medical department in 1867, after
which he went to Brooklyn and took a coTirse in electricity. He studied
along these lines for about two years and removed to New City, where
he has since lived and practiced as a physician and surgeon. In 1880
he man'ied Miss Matilda Naglc, of New York, who died in the spring of

90 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

1884. They had from this union one chihl, a boy, who dinl at tlio age
of four yeai's. In 1888 he took for his second wife Miss Ida, (hmghter
of John Smith of New City. Dr. Van Houtcn is court physician to
New City Lodge, Foresters of America. His father, Nicholas Van
Honten, was born and raised in RockLand connty. His grandfather,
Peter Van Houten, settled in the yieinity of Spring Valley in the early
part of the eighteenth century on a tract of land whi(di has since, how-
eyer, passed ont of the hands of the family.

JOHN SENGSTACI0:N, M. D., is a native of New York city.
His parents, of Holland natiyity, came to this conntry in 1840, and for
twenty years resided in the metropolis. They then moyed to Sullivan
county, where they still remain, and are highly respected. Dr.
Sengstacken graduated from the Uniyersity of New Yfirk in
Medicine in 1SH9, and practiced his profession as an associ-
ate with Dr. W. T. Kecler, in New York for a time. In
the same year he came to Stony Point, where he has since most suc-
cessfully practiced. In 1890 Dr. Sengstacken was elected Coroner and
served for one term. He has also served as School Trustee and Health
Officer and is the present Secretary of the Rockland Connty Medical
Societj'. In the spring of ISSS Dr. Sengstacken was married to Flor-
ence Couch, a sister of il. 11. Couch, former District Attorney of
Sullivan county, and a lineal descendant upon the maternal side of the
well known Barnum family of Connecticut. Their family consists of
two children, Royal F. and Florence B.

CHARLES MC ELROY is a native of Hamburg, X. J. When a
child his parents removed to Ilaverstraw, and then to Ramapo, Rock-
land county, where they remained until the close of the war. On August
12, 1862, Charles McElroy enlisted as a private in Company 1', Ifil N.
Y. Volunteers. He participated in many notable battles during his
three years of service. In the fall of 1862, under deneral Banks, the
famous expedition to Ne\v Orleans was accomplished, and from there
they went to Baton Rouge and bombarded that city, remaining there
until the spring of 1863; then they marched on Port Hudson and
besieged the fortifications forty-seven days, until June 8th, when the
enemy surrendered. It was a notable victory, this place and Vicksburg
being the two vital points of the situation. Their next engagements

BIOGRAPHICAL. 91

were at Cox's plantation, Donnelsonvillc and at Sabine Pass, being
defeated at the latter place. They then started on the Ked River cam-
paign, constrncting the historical dam that lloatcd the fleet over the
rocks at Alexandria, after which took place the engagements at Sabine
Cross Tvoads and Pleasant Hill. Mr. McElroy witnessed the surrender
of Fort llorgan at the month of Mobile Bay, to Admiral Farragnt. In
the spring of 1865 they retnnied to Mobile Bay and besieged Foi't
Spanish across the river, and also participated in the chai-ge on Fort
Blakely, fifteen miles away. After capturing these two points they
crossed and took possession of the city of Mobile, which they gamsoned
the two months following. They then went to Barancns, Apalachacola,
Fla., and Dry Tortugas, where they garrisoned the fort until October
20, ISfiS, when they were mustered out of service. After the
close of the war Mr. McElroy learned the carpenter's trade, and in
1875 established his present business of contracting and building, hav-
ing a shop well equipped with machinery. His business is located
on Bailroad avenue, Nyack. He is a member of the Methodist Church
and has been on the Boai'd of Trustees for fourteen years continuously,
and was largely instriimental in erecting the present Methodist edifice,
corner of Broadway and Division avenue. Mr. McElroy mari-ied Har-
riet E. Wadsworth, of Geneva, N. Y., and they have two sons and three
daughters: Alonzo, Howard, Grace (who married Calvin M. Powell,
of Xyack), Edith and Estelle. The McElroy family came originally
from Scotland. Charles McElroy's grandfather, Charles was bom in
New York city. His son, David, was bom in Hamburg, IST. J. ; married
Phobic Biggs, of Hamburg, who came of an old Dutch family, and they
had the following sons and daughters: Elizabeth, Charles, Henry,
Mary, Fannie, Anna, Catherine, Harriet, George, James, John and
Phebie.

ROBERT A. WIDENMANN, Haverstraw. The .subject of this
sketch has had a varied and extensive experience covering four con-
tinents. Born in Georgia, he finished his education in a German univer-
sity from 18G5 to '70, and then engaged in active commercial pursuits
in Xew York city. After two years here his house sent him to South
America, South Africa and Australia. His health becoming impaired,
Mr. Widenmann returned home and shortly afterward engaged exten-
sively in ranching in Central America and Mexico. After regaining his

92 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Lcaltli ho camo to Rockland county ami cngaoed in the manufacturing
and export business. In 181)0 he wa.s elected Managing- Director of the
llaverstraw Light and Fuel Gas Company, which office he still continues
to fill. In a quiet and unostentatious way, Mr. Widcnmann has exerted
considerable influence upon political affaii-s. State and National. When
a delegate to the Democratic State Convention he was the leader of the
opposition to Judge Maynard, which ultimately resulted in Judge May-
nard's defeat by 1.50,000. He was also the father of the Anti-Snap
Movement which l)rought about the nomination of President Cleveland,
and also the originator of the Gold Democratic movement in the United
States. In 1883 Mr. "Widenmann was married to Miss Albertine Lemcke
of New York city, and his family consists of two children, Elsie and
Adolph.

;M0RIIIS ADLER has been a resident of llaverstraw since 1884,
and of this county since 1882. lie is engaged in the wholesale liquor
business in llaverstraw and is an energetic and progressive business man.
In 1889 Henry Adler, his son, served most acceptably as Overseer of
the Poor in Rockland county. Henry is identified with local institutions,
such as the Odd Fellows, and is a wideawake and successful business man.
Morris Adler's family consists of his wife and four children, Henry, Ot-
tilie, Louis and Walter.

■WILLIAM J. STEWART was bom in Donegal county, Ireland,
September 17th, 18(54. lie received his education in his native place.
After leaving school and until eighteen years of age he was employed as
clerk in a grocery. In 1882 he decided to come to America, after ascer-
taining that there was a better opportunity for advancement in this
country for an energetic man than in the old. Upon aiTiving in
New York he secured a position with the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Com-
pany as salesman and continued in the employ of this company in the
above capacity for about five years. He then embarked in the grocery
business for himself in Brooklyn. Two years thereafter he sold his
Brooklyn business and opened a similar one in Palisades, N. Y., and
later opened a branch store at Tappan. Mr. Stewart is an able, wide-
awake business man and has achieved a remai"kable success during the
time he has been in this country. He was married January 1st, 1897,
to Eliza, daughter of James Pantang, of Stamford, Conn. They have

BIOGRAPHICAL. 93

two (laughters, Kathleen Elizabeth, born December Srd, 1S97, and
Emma Margaret, born October 26th, 1899.

GUSTAVE MAENETT is a native of Bavaria, (iermany, was born
October 21st, 187G. He came to America August 1st, 1892, landing
in Xew York. Previous to coming to America he had learned the
baker's trade and upon his arrival here he took up the trade, traveling
from city to city, working a short time in each place. In 1900, having
tired of this nomadic life, he came to Spring Valley and opened a bakery.
He sujiplies the trade and also runs a retail establishment, where he con-
trols a large share of the village custom. K'ovember 7th, 1890, he mar-
ried Marian Fitzpatrick. They have one child, Katherine. Mr. Mar-
nctt is a member of Court No. 340, Foresters of America. His father,
John Mamett, who died in 1892, was a tailor by trade, and served with
distinction in the Austria and German war of 18C6 and the German
and French War of 1870-'7l.

GEORGE SAAROSY was born in Hungary ISTovember 29, 1850.
He is a descendant of one of the old families of Austria-Hungary with
patents of nobility. His father, Baron George Saarosy, was governor
of the northern part of Hungary; Mr. Saarosy is also a baron in his
country. Early in life (when but six years of age) he was put in a
scliool, from wliicli he passed into tlie University of Bnda-Pest. Aft(T
graduating there he entered a military college, from which he graduated
with the rank of Lieutenant and received an appointment in the anny.
After some years of service in the anny, he resigned and came to Amer-
ica, to sec if he could improve his fortune, for, like many of the nobles
of his countr}', he was financially embarrassed. For a time after arriv-
ing in America Mr. Saarosy was not very prosperous, as he had not
received a business training. But soon he became convei-sant with
American methods and gradually began to accumulate propei-ty. He
conducted a fann near Spring Valley for about six ye^rs and in 1891
opened a grocery store in the village, which venture proved successful.
In 1897 he erected liis present block on ilain street, where he now con-
ducts the leading grocery store of the village. In 1873 Mr. Saarosy
was married to Julia Baroness Saarosy. They have no children.

94 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

WILLIA]\r DIXON YOUNG was bum iu Viola September 13,
1804. His father was a farmer and store-keejjer there, and William
attended the local schools and assisted his father until in his seventeenth
year, when he went to Newark, N. J., to clerk in a groceiy store. After
about three years he accepted a position on the Broad street line of horse
cars as conductor and later returned to Suffern and started a livery bus-
iness, which he conducted for two j'ears. Mr. Young then received an
ajipoiutment in the capital at Albany as clerk for three years, at the
expiration of which time he returned to Spring Valley and has since been
conducting a livery and engaged iu buying and selling stock. Mr.
Young is a member of Amity Lodge, No. l'J2, Odd Fellows, and is one
of the auditors for the town of Eamapo. He has served as inspector of
elections and is very highly respected whei'ever known. His family
consists of wife, formerly Maggie Goetchius, of Tallmans, and they
have one child, a girl named Hazel.

GEOEGE W. SUFFEKN was born at Ilaverstraw January 14,
1832. He acquired his education in the schools of that place, together
with a. course in the Peekskill Business Academy and the Tallman pri-
vate school. He assisted his father on the fanu near Haversti-aw. In
1854, he, with William F. Gumee, established a brick manufacturing
plant at Grassy Point. The business was caiTicd on for two years, when
Mr. Suffern purchased his partner's interest and conducted the estab-
lishment alone the following two years. He then sold out the brick
business and returned to Ilaverstraw to take the management of his
father's fann. In 1861 his father died, leaving the farm and other
property to his sou, George W. He remained on the farm until 1871,
when he decided to retire from active life, leased the farm and moved
with his family to S])riug Valley, where he now resides. February ^Ith,
1854, he married Elizabeth Gumee, daughter of William F. Gurnee,
of Ilaverstraw. Mr. Suffern has served as school trustee for
Haverstraw, and for seven years was Highway Commissioner in the
same town. Since removing to Spring Valley lie has held the oflice of
Assessor in the town of Iiama])o twenty-one years and is trustee of the
Board of Education of Spring Valley. He is a member of Haverstraw
Lotlge, F. and A. M., and Tappan Lodge, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. His father, John TJ. Suffern, was born in SutTeni village, Ijeing
a member of the old Suffern family, from which the village took its

BIOGRAPHICAL. 95

name. He enlisted in the war of 1812, participated in many notable
engagements and retired at the close of the war with the rank of Major.
In the early years of his life he practiced as a physician in Xcw York
city, aftei'ward removing to Garncn'ille, a suburb of Ilaverstraw, where
he conducted a rolling mill for a number of years. During the later
years of his life he lived in retirement on his farm near Haverstraw.

GEOEGE GATES is a native of Ossining, N. Y., having lived at
that place imtil eleven years of age, when his parents remove<l to Yon-
kers. He received his education at Ossining and Yonkers, graduating
from the public schools in the latter city at the age of thirteen and was
up to that time the yomigest graduate from the Yonkers schools. In
1872 he began as helper in the plumbing business of a New York firm,
with whom he remained four years. In 1876 he took a position as engi-
neer in a J^forwood, N. J., hotel, and in 1879 accepted a position with
the St. Joe Mining Company, as Superintendent of the undei'grouud
pijiiug in St. Joseph, Mo. His health failing, he was soon obliged to
return east, and was appointed supply and ticket agent for the Ontario
and Western R. R. Co., with headquarters at Lowden, N. J. He occu-
pied this position until 1883, when he removed to Xyack. Mr. Gates
Avas instiiimental in establishing and starting the first electric light plant
in Xyack in 1886. In 1888 he opened a plumbing establishment in
Nyack which he has since very successfully conducted. lie is a mem-
ber of Rockland Lodge, No. 723, F. and A. M., and of the ]\Iaze])pa
Engine Company No. 2. He is also a member of the Baptist Church.
In 1S8-1: he was mamed to Ennna, daughter of Hiram VauZandt, of
Nyack, and their family consists of two boys.

ERASTUS JOHNSON was Iwrn near the Joliiison homestead at
Summit Park, or New Hempstead, January 0th, 1820. His education
was acquired in the schools of the vicinity, which he attended until about
eighteen years of age. After leaving school he assisted his father on
the farm. In 1856 he, together with George Nickcrson, entered into
partnership and engaged in the manufacture of brick at Rondout, N. Y.
In 18-17 Mr. Johnson married Elizabeth Raymond, of Westchester
county, N. Y., who died in 1848. From this union was born one child,
Mary Lucretia, wife of Josiah Conclin. September 28th, 1853, he took
for his second wife Fannie L. Bmndage, of Westchester county, to whom

96 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

was born five children: Elizabeth R., wife of Willard Eckei'son, of
Spring Valley; Anna D. ; Ida L. ; and Frederick Mcmtt. The three
latter are unmarried and living at home. Fannie Bnmdage Johnson,
a twin to Frederick, died May 5th, 1874, at the age of ten years. Mr.
Johnson has sensed as Jiistice of the Peace, Superintendent of the Poor
and held the office of Supervisor during I860 and 18G4. During his
tenure of this office he acquired considerable prominence in the county
as being instrumental in furnishing the town of Eamapo a system
whereby the taxpayers were enal)le(l to li([uidate the bonded indebtedness
much more (juickly than the other towns of the county and to do so be-
fore the stringency of money values which followed the war and caused
such a burtlcn to fall on the taxpayers of other towns that were not so for-
tunate. Mr. Johnson's grandfather was Gilbert Johnson, born August
28, 1761 ; married Phoebe, daughter of Elie Ciurnee, and died Septem-
ber 15th, 1837, leaving Daniel, Samuel, Stephen, Walter and Ilaunah,
who married John J. Coe. Daniel, l)orn Jauuaiy 2, 1790, nmrried Han-
nah Coe. lie served for twelve years as Justice of the Peace and for a
long time was Associate Judge of Rockland comity. He also was mem-
l)er of Assembly in 1834-'36, and Presidential elector in 1844. He died
February 26th, 1875, leaving one son, Erastus, who iidierited the ances-
tral acres. On his mother's side Mr. Johnson is descended from the
Coe family, which has been identified with Rockland county for many
generations. The name of Coe is originally English. This family
came from England, but it is uncertain whether they first settled in
Long Island or in New England. The ancestor who emigrated from
England is unknown. Those who removed from Long Island to the old
English neighborhood were Samuel and Margaret Coe and several of
their children. It was about the year 1734. They moved from
Hempstead, L. I., and called their new setlemcnt by the same name,
Hempstead. The region was at that time inhabited by Indians, who
called it Kakeat, by which name it was long known. The decided part
the Cocs took in the cause of Independence will always rank them among
the first of true Americans.

ROBERT ROCKWELL FELTER, M. D., was born at Rockland
Lake December 22d, 1855. He attended the public school until fifteen
years of age, when he entered the gTocery store of Thomas II. AVood-
cock. In 1874, after three yea.i-s of service, he entei-ed Wyoming Seni-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 97

inary, Kingston, Pa. He studied there for nearly a year and upon his
return home he became an apprentice in his father's wheelwright shop.
After he had learned the trade of wagon building, and in 1877, he
entered the State Konnal College at Albany, X. Y., graduating in
1880. During his course he taught school three terms in Rensselaer
county. In the fall of 1880 he became the Principal of the Tomkins
Cove public school and served in that capacity for three and a half
years. In 1883 he received an appointment in the U. S. Customs ser-
vice, remaining until 1886, when he resigned and began to study med-
icine in the University of the City of Xew York, graduating in 1894.
Um"ing his course in the university he was Principal of the Piennont
public school and taught in Colimibia Grammar School in Xew York
city. In 1894 he was elected Coroner of Pockland county, which office
he held for two years and resigned from it when he assumed the duties of
the office of School Commissioner, to which he had been elected in 1896.
In 1898 he removed to P(>arl River and began to practice medicine; he
is still there. Dr. Felter is a Forester, an Odd Fellow and a member
of the Royal Arcanum. He was married to Laura DeRonde, of Tom-
kins Cove, in 1886. He has three children, Laura Edith, born in 1887;
Helen Margery, in 1892; Robert Kenneth, in 1899. He comes of good
old Dutch stock, his ancestors having coine from Holland. His father
was David E. Felter, of Rockland Lake, a stanch Republican and a
friend to good government and advancement.

DR. EUGENE B. LAIRD is a native of New York and re-
ceived his education in that city. In 1877 he was graduated from the
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. For about
two years following he was in hospital practice in New York and later
practiced at Manas(iuan, N. J. He then went to Brooklyn and i)rac-
ticed for a time, and in 1881 came to Haverstraw. In 1882 Dr. Laird
was nominated and elected by both parties to the office of Coroner of
Rockland county and he has been Health Officer fifteen tenns and still
holds that position for IIa^■erstraw and West Haverstraw. He is a mem-
ber of the Grand Lodge, Knights ()f Pythias, State of New York, was
the fii-st Noble Grand of Sequel Lodge, I. O. O. F., and afterward a
member of the Grand Lodge. Dr. Laird has been Chancellor Com-
mander of lona Lodgv, No. 128, K. of P., and is court i)hysician to Court

98 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Rciekland, F. of A., 18-i. lie is also a nifiuber of tlic Rockland County
Modical Society aud has been Pi-esideut of that society for the past
ten years. He was also at one period a member of Rescue Hook and
Ladder Company. In 1879 Dr. Laird man-ied Miss Mary F. Clayton,
of Monmouth, X. J. They have six childix'u living. Dr. Laird's ailces-
toi-s in their time were illustrious defenders of the cause of liberty and
riglit. His great grandfather, Robert Laird, participated in the Battle
of Monmouth, June 28, 1778, in Col. Barnes Smock's regiment of Light
Dragoons, and another great grandfather, Moses Mount, was in the
same battle, in Col. Treaton's troop of dragoons. Aucestoi-s on the
maternal side took active part in the French aud Indian wars, the Rev-
olution and the War of 1812. Dr. Laird's office and residence is in Main
street, corner of Clove avenue, Llaverstraw, and he enjoys an extensive
and lucrative practice in these villages and the surrounding country.

DR. CHARLES D. KLIXE was born in Blauvelt, Rockland county,
and attended the Xyack schools as a boy. Later, having a marked incli-
nation towards the medical profession, he entered Coluinl)ia University
and in 18'J2 gTaduated from the Physicians and Surgeons' branch of that
institution. The two years following he served on the staff of the St.
Francis Hospital, New York. He then came to Xyack, in 189-1, and
until May, 1900, was with Dr. Polhemus in the practice of medicine,
and on leaving him opened his present office. Dr. Kline has for the
past five years been the city Health Officer. He is treasurer of the
Nyack Hospital, as well as one of its visiting physicians, and is also a
member of the State Medical and the Rockland Medical Associations
and a member of the Masonic fraternity.

DR. J. HOWARD CROSBY, Haverstraw, was bom in London,
England, at which place his parents were residing at that time. His
father, a native of the State of Massachusetts, returned to Amei'ica with
his family shortly after and settled first in Nova Scotia and afterward
at Brooklyn, N. Y. Howard was educated in Nova Scotia and was grad-
uated from the Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, from which
lie took his degree in 1895. Upon leaving college, Dr. Crosby served
two years at the New Jersey State Hos]>ital at Mon-is Plains; then for
two years he occupied a similar position with the Manhattan State Hos-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 99

pital in Xew York, from which he resigned in 1899, coming to Haver-
straw, where he opened tlie oifice he now occupies. In 1897 Dr. Crosby
was married to Miss Catherine Rose, of Stony Point. In the short
time that he has been a resident of Ilaverstraw he has built up a large
practice and enjoys the thorougli confidence and esteem of all citizens.
He is a member of the American Medical Association, of the Ilockland
County Medical Association and a steward in the Haverstraw Metho-
dist Church.

DE. S. W. SPEXCER TOMS was born in Elyria, Ohio, and while
a child his parents moved to Osliawa, Ontario, Canada, near Toronto,
at which place he received his education. In 1883 he graduated from
the Pharmacy Department of the University of Toronto, and for the
five years succeeding was established in the drug business at Toronto.
He then entered tlie Medical Department of University of Buffalo, grad-
uating from that institution in 1891, after which for the two years fol-
lowing he served as interne at the Buffalo General Hospital. In 1893
he began the practice of medicine at Bellport, L. I., and in his five
years of practice there established a reputation which only skill, thor-
oughness and strict attention to the details of his practice could have
made possible. In May, 1898, he removed to Nyack and opened an
office at his residence on South Broadway. His specialty is diseases
of the eye, ear, nose and throat. Indicative of his high standing among
experts in the medical profession is the fact that in Febiiiary, 1896,
was conferred upon lilm the rare honor of "Fellow" by the I^ew York
Academy of ^Medicine, and in May, 1899, he was appointed Instructor of
Diseases of the Eye at the N"ew York Post Graduate Hospital, which
jMsition he now holds. He is one of the visiting staff of the Nyack Hos-
pital, a member of the American, the New York State and the Ilockland
County IMcdical Associations, Rockland Lodge, No. 723, F. and A. M.,
Rockland Chapter, Xo. 204, R. A. il., and Court Tappan Zee, No. 225,
Foresters of America. In 1894 he was united in marriage with Miss
Elizabeth Bodell Orr, of Skeaneateles, N. Y., and Allen Park Toms is
tlie only child. Dr. Toms is an expert along the lines of his specialty,
and Ills operating room and laboratory is fully equijiped witli modern
surgical instruments for successfully performing delicate operations.

100 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY,

THE 1)E XOYELLES FAilll.Y. Tliis family is of lln-iienot
origin and one of the many representatives of that persecuted race which
found a place of refuge in the new world. The ancestor of this family,
which has been so prominent in the history of Haverstraw, was John
DeXoyclles, a young French gentleman who came here about 1760, and
purchased from the heirs of Nicholas Kuj'per the south part of the De-
Ilarte Patent. He established his home on what was then the high bank
of the river, and the old mansion stood nearly opposite the middle of the
present coffer dam. This house was burned by the British on the night
of June 20th, 1781, and another was erected a little south of the old
site. This stood till A\'ithin a few years, when it was torn down to make
room for extended brick yards. John DeXoyelles was a very prominent
man in Orange county and was a member of the Provincial Legislature
in 1774. He died the next year at the early age of forty-one. His wife,
Eachel, afterwards man-ied Colonel John Eobart. Mr. DeXoyellcs left
two sons, John and Peter, and two daughters, Sarah and Charlotte, both
of whom died unmarried. John, the eldest son, married Deborah, daugh-
ter of Thomas Lawrence. Their children were Lawrence, John (who died
unmarried), Levi, Edward, Robert, Daniel, Eliza (wife of James Fred-
erick), Rachel (wife of Walter S. Coe), Charlotte (who mamed Henry
Christie), Emily (who married Thomas Green), and Mary (wife of John
Riker). John DelSToyelles, the father of this family, died August 9, 1832,
aged 67 years. His wife, Deborah, died jSTovember 16, 1815, at the age
of 46. Their son, Lawi-ence, was a prominent citizen of this county
and held the oiHce of Supervisor for several years. He married Susan,
daughter of John S. Coe, and died May 3, 1842, aged 44, leaving no
children. Levi married Henrietta M. Baker. Their children were:
Edward, Levi L., Deborah, Daniel and Carrie, all deceased. Edward
was member of Assembly 1841-1842. He married Rebecca Blauvelt,
but left no children. Robert married Katy Low and left children:
Thomas L., Joseph, Edward, George, Emily and Elizabeth. Daniel
was born October 6, 1805, and died in August, 1836. He mamed Mar-
tha, daughter of Andrew Hopper, and left children: John L., Martha
A. and Daniel. John Lawrence DeNoyelles was born October 6, 1828,
and died about 1886. He was Supervisor of Haverstraw in 1860 and was
elected President of the village fourteen times. He married Emily,
daughter of Leonard Guruee, and their children are: Charles A., Mar-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 101

tha Ji. (wlio marriod Edward S. Aiinoss, Slieriff, and liad two children,
Edna and Emily), John L. (who married Grace, daughter of William
Bonnett and had one daughter, Grace), and Daniel.

DANIEL DE NOYELLES was a resident of New York city from
the spring of 1882 until 1897. He then returned to Haverstraw, where
he now resides. He is an extensive property owner, principally of brick
yards. Bom September 30th, 1836, in Haverstraw, he married Mary A.
Gaynor in 1SC4. Their children are: Frank, who married Harriet
Voratt; Griffith, Mary Adelaide, who married Douglas Sheriden of New
York; and Nina, who married Sidney H. Gurnee. Frank, the eldest
son, has one child, a daughter, named Harriet Adelaide. Peter DeNoy-
elles, son of John, the first of the name, married Deriche, daughter of
Theodore Siiedeker. Their children were: John, Daniel, Theodore,
William, who married Ellen, daughter of Solomon Smith, but left no
children; Peter, who married Catherine Harwig; Asbury, George, Char-
lotte, wife of John Coe; Effie, wife of Garret DeForest; Sarah, wife of
John Theill; Rachiel, wife of Lawrence Odell, and Mary, who married
John Haring. Peter DeNoyelles was a member of Assembly in 1802
and 1803, and was member of Congress 1813-1814. His son, Asbury,
was Sheriff of this county in 1846. Peter L^eNoyelles died May 6, 1829,
aged 63. In the old DeNoyelles burying ground stood a red stone with
the following inscription: "In memoiy of John DeNoyelles, Esq.,
Member of the General Assembly for the county of Orange, in the prov-
ince of N^ew York, who departed this life January 11th, 1775, in the
41st year of his age." The remains were, in 1898, all removed from the
DeNoyelles family burying ground, under the direction of Mr. Daniel
DeNoyelles, to Mount Repose Cemetery, together with the monument
and headstones. These graves, numbering about two hundred, occupy
one large plot.

JOSEPH DE NOYELLES is fourth in direct descent from John
DeNoyelles, who came to America from France in 1760. Joseph is a
son of Thomas L. DeNoyelles, who was a son of Robert DeNoyelles and
Kate Low DeNoyelles, and Robert DeNoyelles was a son of John De-
Noyelles and Deborah Lawrence DeNoyelles, the eldest son of the
founder of the family in America. Mr. DeNoyelles is a native^ of New
City, where he received an education together Avith a coiirse in the Nyack
Academy. After leaving school ho was employed for some seventeen

102 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

or eighteen years in the County Clerk's office at New Cit}-. In 1875 he
was elected Town Clerk, which office ho filled for a term of fourteen
years, performing the duties of the office in connection with his other
work. In 1889 he went to New York city and engaged in a retail meat
business, which he conducted one year, when he sold out and returned to
New City. In 1891 Mr. DeNoyelles was elected Supervisor on the
Democratic ticket for the Town of Clarkstown, and served in that capa-
city five years. In 1897 he was appointed Clerk of the Board of Super-
visors, which office he now holds, together with that of assistant clerk
in the Surrogate's Court, having been appointed to the latter position in
1899. In 1883 he married Miss Cora M. Clark, of New City. They
have one daughter, Blanche.

THEODORE DE NOYELLES was born in the Rockland County
Court House at New City, February 10th, 18G8, while his father,
Thomas L. DeNoyelles, was serving as Under Sheriff. He is fourth in
direct descent from John DeNoyelles of Revolutionary fame. Theodore
DeNoyelles attended the public schools of New City and Nyack. After
leaving school he went to Bayonne, N. J., where he remained three years
and during this time learned the butcher business. In 1890 he went to
New York city, where he accepted a position with the Gansevoort Bank.
He remained with this institution three years, when he removed to New
City and opened a retail meat and grocery business, which he is now con-
ducting. Mr. DeNoyelles is a Justice of the Peace, having been elected
to that office in 1899. He is Treasurer of Court New City, No. 327,
Foresters of America, Chief of the New City fire department, and Vice
President of the Rockland County Benevolent Society and is also n mem-
ber of the society of Red ilen. In 1894 he married iliss Pauline Bucli-
cnau, of New City. He is a trustee of the New ( 'ity Methodist Church.

GEORGE E. IIARING was born at Tappan, Rockland county, N.
Y., February 24, 18fi3. He attended the schools of Englewood, N. J.,
imtil about sixteen years of age, when he took up the trade of iron-
moulding. He followed this trade for a year and then went into the
machine shop of the Ramapo Wheel and Foundry Company, and in
March, 1881, took a position with the Ramapo Iron Works. Later he
was employed in the machine shop and in 1893 Ix'came general foreman
of the frog and switch department. He holds this position at the pres-
ent time. In 1887 Mr. Haring married Elizabeth Riggs, oi Suffern,

BIOGRAPHICAL. 103

ami they have two children, Anna and Renben. Mr. Ilaring is a
member of Ramapo Lodge, No. 589, F. and A. M., and Eureka Chap-
ter, No. 287, of Siiffern, Ilnd.son River Comraanderv, of Xe\vl)urgh,
and Mecca Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. of New York city.

ADAM CREELMAN was born in Nova Scotia March 29, 18(i2. At
the age of eighteen he went to Boston and worked for a time as mill-
wright for the N. Y. and N. E. R. R. Co. He then went to Worcester,
Mass., as a millwright for the American Steel and Wire Company,
remaining there a few years, when being offered a position in the con-
struction department of the Westinghoiise Electric and Manufacturing-
Company, he accepted and held the position iive years. His next situ-
ation was that of Master Mechanic in the H. R. Worthington Hydraulic
Works of Brooklyn, N. Y. This position he held about five years. In
January, 1889, Mr. Creelman came to Hillburn as Superintendent of
the Rockland Electric Company, an office he still holds. He is also
Superintendent of the Mountain Spring Water Company, and occupies
the position of Superintendent of motive power of the Ramapo Iron
Works. January Sth, 1890, Mr. Creelman married Frances D. Mar-
tin, of Worcester,. Mass. He is a member of Ramapo Lodge, F. and A.
M., and Eureka Chapter of Suffcrn and of Hudson River Commandery
of Newburgh. He is also a m('ml)or of the Knights of ]\ralta, Palestine
Commandery of Brooklyn. In the fall of 1900, recognizing the need
of a local company for the supply of ice, Mr. Creelman erected build-
ing's, purchased an equipment and gave to the citizens of Suffcrn and
adjoining towns the luxury of a daily ice delivery. The business is rap-
idly increasing and bids fair to be a very profitable enterprise. James
Creelman, the father of Adam, is a native of Nova Scotia. In ISfiO ho
founded a woolen manufacturing business, which has gi-own into an
extensive concern, and is now being conducted under the finn name of
James Creelman S: Sons.

AERAM DATER was l>orn at Sloatsburg, Rockland county,
November 10th, lS(i.3. and his education was obtained in the village
schools of that place. After leaving school he entered his father's
em]iloy as clerk in the grocery store. He was then sixteen years of age
and fnmi that time until his father's death, in 1898, he remained in
the store as his father's assistant, succeeding to the business ujioii his

104 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

(It'Mtli. ^Iv. Dater is a (lescondaiit of mie of the leading- families of
riocklaml county, whose enterprises are partienhirly interwoven with
the liistory of Sloatsbnrg.

GEOEGE FREEMAX was born in Monsey, X. Y., December 11th,
1871. He attended tlie local schools and after leavine; school clerked
for a time in Boston, Mass., and Paterson, N. J., later in Snffern, X. Y.,
for his uncle. He started in the orocery and provision business in Ilill-
liurn, X. Y., about nine years ao-o and has built up a lucrative trade, his
delivery service covering the surrounding ten-itory. He is a member of
the fire departnu-nt and is a very energetic and progressive man. He is
also identitied with the ice company in the capacity of a stock holder.
His family consists of self and wife, formerly iliss Lizzie Garlough.

WATSOX E. DE BAUX was born at Xyack December 24, 1SG7.
He attended the public schools and afterward learned the building bus-
iness with the firm of M. W. & H. DeBaun, with whom he remained
four years. He then spent one year in the West and in 1889 took charge
of the Tuxedo business of the above firm. This he purchased in li>02
and is now most successfully conducting it. Mr. DeBaun has offices in
Sutfern and Tuxedo. He has served as Trustee of the village of Sutfern
for three yeai's and for one year as Water Commissioner. In 1893 Mr.
DeBann was married to Mabel Stewart, of Xyack, and their family
consists of three children. Marguerite, Isalx^lle and Henry W.

C. E. OVERTOX, Suflern was bom at Bellport, L. I., August 24,
1858. His ancestors were among the pioneer settlei's of that vicinity.
Mr. Overton attended the public schools and remained home on the
farm until be became of age, after which he learned the carpenter's
trade and worked at it until 1884, when he started in business as a
Imilder. He has since erected many fine stmctures, particularly in Tux-
edo, and is at present a Trustee of the village of Suffern, where he
resides. Mr. Overton was married in 1892 to Maud Stryker, of this
State, and their family consists of the following children: Frederick
Stryker, Edward Charles, "Ralph Alonzo.

CHARLES H. MEAD, of the firm of Mead & Taft, at Comwall, is

well known throuffbout the State. The Inisiness of the firm was estab-

BIOGRAPHICAL. lOS

lislied l)_v our siilijoct in IS'v^, and in isr.! the prcsc7it ])ai-tii('rsliip was
fonncd. Mead & Taft deal extensively in lumber, coal and buililing
STipjilies of all descriptions and also conduct a real estate business, and
their reputation as contractoi-s and builders is one of which thev may be
proud. On the 29th of March, 187!), the firm met with a serious loss
in the burning of their building, but with characteristic energy a large
and commodious building was at once erected, and their business con-
tinued without delay. At the present time they have in their employ
over si.x hundred men, their trade extending almost throughout the
entire State. They have manufactiired many portable cottages for
watering places and have had the contracts for the erection of many large
and exjiensive l)uildings in Xew York and its suburbs. Joseph N. Mead,
the fatlier of our subject, was born near Norwich, Conn., and while a
young man removed to ( 'old Spring, Putnam county, N. Y., where he en-
gaged in running a sailing packet, which carried passengers and freight
from Albany to New York. He subsequently ran the boat from Cold-
spring to N^ew York, continuing thus until the destniction of his ves-
sel by fire. He was among the early sailing masters on the Hiidson river,
and was well and favorably known throughoiit a large section of the
country. After the burning of his vessel he located at Garrison's Land-
ing, Putnam county, and built a dock, a residence and a store, continiiing
in trade there until the time of his death, which occurred in 1841. He
married Phoel>e Garrison, a daughter of Judge Harry Garrison, a repre-
sentative of one of the families who early settled on Long Island. Judge
Garrison was for many years prominently identified with Putnam
county and was a man of sterling character. He was the owner of slaves,
but gave them their liberty as early as 1823. Joseph T^. and Phoeln;
(Garrison) Mead were the parents of six children: Mary, Jane (now
deceased, who married James D. Faurot, of Fort ilontgomery), Joseph
Henry (deceased), Hannah Elizabeth (widow of Sylvanus Coursun),
William Augustus (who passed away in childhood), Charles Henry (our
svibject), and Sidney (who died in infancy). The mother died in Janu-
ary, 1879. The paternal grandparents of our subject were Abram and
Hannah Mead, and the latter's father, Abram, was at oue time the sole
owner of Cold Spring, Putnam county, IST. Y. The paternal great-
grandmother was Elizabeth, a daughter of General Nicholson, of Rev-
olutioiiarv fame. Charles Henry ifead, who was liorn in Putnam

106 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

county July 24, 1831, remained witli his parents imtil nine years of age,
receiving his primary education under the direction of Rev. Mr. Wil-
liams, an Episcopal clergyman. In 1841 he went to live with his sister,
Mary Jane Fanrot, at Fort Montgomery, where his education was con-
tinued in the common schools. When seventeen years old he came to
Cornwall and engaged to learn the trade of a caqwnter with 1 )aniel
Taft. In June, 1854, he was united in marriage with Mary E. Taft,
and their union has been blessed with twelve children: Chai'les, who
has charge of the hardware store, married Eva Brooks and they have
three childi-en, Laura, Elting and George; Lizzie, who married Charles
Mahler, is the mother of two children, James and Charles; Minnie, who
married Andrew B. Byer, has two children, Edith and Willie; Clara,
married Dr. Sheldon, of New York, and tliey have two children, Mar-
garet and Alice; TIarrv, who is engaged in the shipping business in New
York, married Marietta Beynolds, Avlio died leaving twf) chiiilren, Har-
old and John; Jennie, now the wife of Bobert Tuttle, resides in New
York. The remaining children, who are not yet married, are Frank,
Ida, Lulu, Clifton, Mabel and Walter. All have had excellent ii])p(ir-
tunitias for an education, receiving instruction in private schools. Upon
all national issues Mr. Mead is a Bepublican, but locally is not a strict
party man. Socially he is a Mason, an Odd Fellow and a Kniglit of
Honor. In the Odd Fellows' Lodge he is Past Grand, was for two years
District Dejmty, and has been Treasurer of the Knights of Honor since
its organization. All the family but the youngest are membei-s of the
Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Mead is Senior Warden.

GEOBGE E. WHBITENOUB was born at Sloatsburg June S,
1877. ITis education was acquired in the public schools of that place
and at MacChesney's Business College. Upon leaving school he entered
the employ of his father in his Sloatsburg grocery. After a year's clerk-
ship he secTired a position as stenographer with the American News Com-
pany of New York. With this company he remained only a short time,
returned to vSloatsburg as his father's clerk and shortly after this pur-
chased the grocery business of Y. Waldron. He conducted this for a
time, sold out and purchased his father's business, which he is conduct-
ing at the pi-esent time. February 4th, 1902, Mr. Whritenour mar-
ried Edna B. Allen, daughter of E. F. Allen, of Sloatsburg. Mr. Whrit-
enour is a member of Baniapo Lodge, No. 589, F. and A. M., Sloats-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 107

burg Council, Xo. 9o, Junior O. IT. A. il., and James H. Butler Camp,
No. 47, Sons of Veterans. Ilis father, John AVhritenonr, came to Sloats-
burg with his parents as a child from New Jersey, and at the outbreak
of the Civil War enlisted in the navy and for three years fought under
Admiral Faragnt, participating in the Battle of Mobile Bay and all tlie
notable engagements of that brilliant officer.

AV. E. BLAKSLEE was born at W<ionsocket, R. L, August 10th,
18.5:3. His ancestors were among the early pioneer families who located
in the Berkshire Hills and his father was a highly respected resident of
Massiichu.setts. AV. E. Blakslee attended the public schools in AA'^cu-ces-
ter and early in life learned mechanical engineering. He was an
emploj'e of the Jerome AVheelock Engine AA'^orks for three years in
AVorcester and of the Mount liolyoke pleasure resort and with Rice &
Barton, manufacturers of paper and calico machinery until he entei"ed
the employ of the Boston and Albany R. R., where he remained about
three years, .subsequently taking a position with the C. B. and Q. R. R.,
at Cre.ston, Iowa. In 1SS2 he was appointed master mechanic of the
Ramapo Iron AVorks, a position which he still most acceptabh' occupies.
Mr. Blakslee is a member of Morning Star Lodge, F. and A. M., AVor-
cester, ilas.s., AA'^orcester Ro_yal Arch Chapter, Terry City Council, of
Paterson, X. J., Hudson River Commandery of Xewburg and ilecca
Temple Shrine, Xew York city. His family consists of wife, who was
prior to her marriage Miss Mary Culver, of Rome, X. Y., and two chil-
dren living, Fannie C. and Robert. His two eldest children, Howard and
Edward, died when ten and five years of age, respectively. An expert
and skilled mechanic. Mr. Blakslee commands the highest wages and
enjoys the entire confidence of his employers as well as of the public.

AAWRREX BLAXCIIARD is a native of Rockland county. He
was born at Hempstead Xovember 27th, 1802. His education was
obtained in the public schools of Hempstead and Spring A^allej' and his
early life was spent on his father's farm, where he remained until about
twenty-two years of age. He then removed to Spring A^alley and pur-
chased of E. A. Cooper the flour mill on Main street of that village.
This enterprise proved successful, and during the eight yeai*s in which
he conducted it he built up a large an<l ]irofitable trade and greatly
increased the capacity of the mill. In 1S9(! he established the carriage

108 HISTOR\ OP' ROCKLAND COUNTY.

reiiository business in Spring Valley, which he is c.oiiducting to-day.
In this business, as in everything lie undertakes, he has, through skillful
management and tireless energy, placed the establishment on a solid
tiiinneial basis. In 188.5 he was united in marriage with Anna A., daugh-
ter of Cornelius Elauvelt, of Spring Valley. They have three children,
Harry LaMontc, Frank DeWitt and Floyd DeWitt. Mr. Blanchard is
one of the prominent Eepublicans of the town of Ramapo, is a firm
believer in the principles of the Republican party, and always takes
an active jiart in the promotion of the best interests of that organization
in the local field. He has served as clerk of the town of Raniapo, clerk
of Commissioner oi Highways, and secretary of the Board of Health.
In the capacity of Supervisor of the town of Ramajw Mr. Blanchard
showed marked ability and his zeal and enterprise in the constniction
and maintenance of good roads has placed him high in the esteem of the
citizens of IJamapo. His father, James Blanchard, was bom in Bock-
land county, where he always resided. He was a prominent fanner and
dealer in lumber and ship timber. He died in 1881.

JOHN W. GILLIES was born in Haverstraw, N. Y., May 3d, 1878.
He was educated at St. Paul's School, Garden City, L. I. In 1809 he
ojx'ued a real estate and general insurance office in Haverstraw, whicli
practically' controls the re^al estate situation in that vicinity, and he has
a large share of the insurance biisiness also. A short time ago Mr. Gil-
lies, in connection with Mr. Ilibbard, established a similar office in New
York city, under tlie firm name of Gillies & Ilibbard, corner of ]\Iad-
ison avenue and Fifty-second street. LTpon January 1st, 1902, Mr. Ilib-
bard was succeeded in this branch of the business by A. T. Cleary. John
W. (Tillies was married May 3, 1900, to Hannah Brewster, a daughter
of Brewster Allison, Esq., of Stony Point. Mr. Gillies is a young man
of energy and business ability and is quietly enlarging liis field of opera-
tion and strengthening his business.

JOHN W. BABCOCK was bom at Warwick, Orange county, N.
Y., September 11th, 1850. He attended the Eamapo and Sloatsburg
schools, and after leaving school obtained a position in the car wheel
works at Eamapo, working inider his brother Isaac, who was then fore-
man of the shops. After working there for a time he secured a position
with the Cummings Car Co., of Jersey City. He was with this company

BIOGRAPHICAL. 109

about two years. He tlien took a three years' course of instruction in
house building, following which, in 1877, he returned to the R-amapo
Wheel and Foundry Co. as pattern maker. This position he occupied
some eighteen years. In 1895 he took his present position of Assistant
Foreman in the pattern department of the Ramajjo Iron Works. In
1878 he married Catherine Bradbury, of South Orange, N. J. They
have two children, Bessie and Harry. He is a charter member of Onward
Lodge, No. 537, of Suflem.

ALBERT J. CARSON is a mason contractor and builder who thor-
oughly imderstands his business and is one of the most successful work-
men in Ilaverstraw. It is now thirty-four years since he began business
ill that place and during this time he has constructed a large number of
handsome residences and substantial biisincss blocks. He was boni in
Ilaverstraw October I7tli, 1847, where he attended the public school
and later graduated from the Mountain Institute of Haverstraw. He
then began work for his father, who was also a mason and builder,
and continued with him till the year 1868, when he branched out in
the same business with his brother Charles, under the name of ''Carson
Bros." His brother died in 1890, since which time he has carried on the
business very extensively. Mr. Carson was married in 1872 to Mary
Selina Felter, daughter of Harmon Felter, of Haverstraw. They have
five children, namely: Adelaide F., Carrie L., Hannon F., Mary E. and
AVilliam R. Pitts, Adelaide F. was married to George S. Allison of
Stony Point; Cai'rie L. was man-ied to S. S. VerValen, of Haver-
straw, and they have one child. Mi'. Carson held the office of School
Trustee for six years, from 1880 to 188(5. He is a member of Stony
Point Lodge, No. 313, F. and A. M., lona Lodge, No. 128, K. of P.,
and was a member of Rescue Hook and Ladder Company for seven
years. He has been a member of the M. E. Church for the last thirty
years, and one of the membei-s of the official board of the chureli for the
last fifteen years, and takes an active interest in all church mattei-s.

J. DIEDRICH BECKERMANN was born in the Province of Han-
over, Germany, March 5, 1850. Upon completing his education in
the public schools lie was apprenticed for four years in a large dry goods
establislunent in Holland. During these four years he learned the bus-
iness and mastered the many details incident to the conduct of an extcn-

110 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

sive dry goods trade. He tlien caine to New York and entered the whole-
sale house of his brothers-in-law, D. & W. Ileidgerd, where he remained
some twelve years, and in 1886 opened a jobbing house in silks and trim-
ming's, which has since reached large proportions, employing upwards
of thirty men. In 1S80 he married Miss Anna Heidgerd. They have
four children: Arnold, Anna, Elsa and Helene, all living at home. Mr.
Beckemiann resides in Xew York winters and in Mousey, Eockland
county, ]^. Y., during the summer months. His summer home is an
ideal home, having beautiful grounds tastefully arranged, with luxur-
iant plants and flowering shrubs, which tend to make it a cool and invit-
ing retreat during the hot summer months.

DAVID J. SMITH is a native of Eockland county, having been
born at West Nyack December 27tli, 1857. At the age of thirteen he
began as clerk in his father's grocery store at that place. In 1877 he,
with his two brothers, succeeded to the business, which they conducted
until 1890, when he bought his brothers' interests in the business and
ran it alone until 1897, when he sold out. Mr. Smith was appointed
Postmaster of West N^yack under President McKinley May 11th, 1897,
Avhicli office he now holds. Previous to his appointment to this ofiice
his brother, John II. Smitli, held that office for a number of years, and
prior to his brother's encumbency his father, John T. Smith, had held
the office continuously since his appointment in 18C9. Mr. Smith is a
member of the Independent Order of IJed Men and the Independent
Older of Odd Fellows. In 1881 he married Louisa Vanllouten, of West
Nyack. They have one child living, Hazel C. Smith. Mr. Smith was
the first excise commissioner to be elected in Clarkstown on tlic Repub-
lican ticket, serving three years. He has served as poor master one term
and Avas Coroner for Rockland county from 1895 until 1902.

ALOYSE OBERLE, Highland Falls, was born in that part of the
German Empire formerly owned by France (Alsace-Lorraine) Novem-
ber 23d, 1852, and was but eighteen years of age when he crossed the
Atlantic and made his home in America. Prior to coming to America he
attended the model schools of his native land. LTpon landing in New
York harbor after a slow and tedi(ms voyage, Mr. Oberle made his way
direct to Highland Falls, N. Y., where for a jjcriod of eleven years he
worked in the general store of Daniel Zint. Of frugal and industrious

BIOGRAPHICAL. lU

habits, he made it a point to save the greater portion of his wages, and in
this way secured the means to start in business for himself. At first he
began in a modest way, his trade repidly grew and to-day he enjoys
a liberal share of the best patronage of this vicinity. Mr. Oberle's
first marriage took place in June, 1881, to Miss Mary Ilalpiu, who
departed this life March 26th, 1889, leaving a daughter and two sons,
.^fary, Joseph and James. In 1900 Mr. Oberle niamed Miss Mary
Ward, of Highland Falls, X. Y. He is a member of the Catholic Benev-
olent League and is very highly regarded wherever known.

JACOB E. VANDEKBILT was born on his father's fann near New
City November 21, 1843. He attended the New City schools and also
pursued his studies in the Rutherford Academy at Nyack. From the
time of leaving school up to 1873 he passed uneventfully on his father's
fann, assisting in the care and management of the place. In 1873 he
and his father (John J.) erected a building in New City and established
therein a general grocery business, under the firm name of J. J. Van-
derbilt & Son. Under these conditions the business was carried along
smoothly and profitably until 1881, when John J. Vanderbilt, the father,
died. From 1881 until 189.5 the business was owned and managed by
Jacob E. Vanderbilt. In 18(!C he was united in marriage with Misfe
Emma Harris. They have one child, Sarah, wife of William DeBevoise,
who has held the position of Postnuister of New City for the past three
years. In 1892 Mr. Vanderbilt was appointed Postmaster of New City,
occupying that office four years. He has served some four years as Jus-
tice of the Peace. He is President of the Rockland County Industrial
Association and has done much towards furthering the interests of that
society. He is also a mend^er of the executive committee of the State
Union Agricultural Society, having been elected to that office five years
ago, and for the past fourteen years has filled the office of Treasurer for
the Industrial Benevolent Society. Both Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt are
meml:)ers of the New City Episcopal Church, of which the former is
vestryman and also Treasurer. The Vandei'bilt family have been identi-
fied ^vith Rockland county from the beginning of its existence as a
coimty, coming here from Holland in the early part of the seventeenth
century. They settled in this part of what was then Orange county,
and which has since been set oil as Rockland county. Jacob Vander-
bilt, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a soldier in the War

112 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

of 1S12, and owned a large tract of land near New City. At this place
was born his son, John J., as was also his two grandsons, Jacob E. and
Angnstiis Vanderbilt, who now own equal shares in the place. The lat-
ter, since the death of their father, has managed the fann and made his
residence thereon. In 1895 Mr. Vanderbilt took in as a partner Mr.
Wm. DeBevoise, his son-in-law, who now holds the position of Post-
master.

EDWIN J. SENGSTACKEN was born in Xew York city, and
when he was an infant his parents moved to Sullivan county, where his
father engaged iu farming in the town of Fallsburg. He was educated
in the public schools of the town and in 1890 came to Stony Point and
began the study of pharmacy with his brother, Dr. J. Sengstacken, who
conducted a drug store at that place. He remained with him five years,
and passed an examination before the State Board of Pharmacists, receiv-
ing his diploma. Mr. Sengstacken then came to Tomkins Cove and
embarked in the dnig business on his own account and he also now owns
a half interest in a Stony Point phannacy, Mr. George B. Hastings, his
partner in that enterprise, being the manager of that branch. In 1893
Edwin J. Sengstacken was united in marriage with Miss Julia E. Lukens,
of Middletown, N. Y. Mr. Sengstacken has served as Tax Collector
for the town of Stony Point and as census enumerator for election dis-
trict No. 2. He is a member of the Stony Point Lodge of Masons and
of the Odd Fellows and Red Men.

LOUIS ADLER is a native of Austria, where he lived until about
the age of ten, when his parents came to this country, locating in Ilav-
erstraw. He received an education in the scIkioIs of Haverstraw and
New York. After leaving school he was employed in various capacities
for a time and in 1893 embarked in the retail meat and grocery business
at Garnervillc, which he is still conducting. Mr. Adler is a yoimg man
(if strict liTisiness principles, is energetic, ])rogressive and ambitious, and
combining as he docs these attributes, with a thorough knowledge of the
details of the business, has contributed towards making his establish-
ment a thriving center of the Gamerville trade. In 1893 he married
Miss Belle Herring, of Middletown, N. Y. They have three children:
Annie, Charles and Louis J. Mr. Adler is a member of the General

BIOGRAPHICAL. 113

Warren Plose Company i^o. 2 of Haverstraw and belongs to the Order
of Eed Men and Odd Fellows.

JOSEPH lilEEER is a native of Germany, having been born in
the State of Pfalz September 27, 1867. His education was obtained
in the ])ul>lie schools of that i)lace, after which he assisted his father
on his farm for a time, and for a year or two before sailing for America
he conducted trade, with a general stock of goods, having a route and
selling to farmers and residents of small villages. In 1882 he came to
America and settled in Kockland county. Eor two or three years he was
engaged in agricultural work as foreman for the McWhorter fann at
that place. He then took a position with William Mutton Jr., at Nan-
uet, as clerk in his store and post office, where he remained nine years.
December 1.3, 1!)00, Mr. Eieber removed to Pearl River and engaged
in the grocery business. In this he has been very successful and now
enjoys the patronage of the greater poi'tion of the citizens of Pearl River
and also conducts a suburban weekly route which is proving very prof-
itable. Mr. Rieber is a member of the Royal Arcanum of Pearl River.
October 5, 1890, he was united in mamage with Margaret Zimmerman,
of N^ew York. Their family consists of five children: Katie and John
(twins), Margaret, Rosa and Josephine. A son, Martin, died in infancy.

PETER DE BEVOISE was born in the DeBevoise homestead three-
quarters of a mile south of ISTew City, Rockland county. May I7th,
1840. He attended the public schools of Xew City and at the age of
eighteen purchased a news and stationery establishment in Haverstraw,
which also inchuled a paper route. This was the only concern of the
kind in Haverstraw at that time. In the course of a year or two he dis-
posed of this business and in company with his brother-in-law, Jeremiah
Pye, launched out in the undertaking business at Haverstraw. This they
very successfully conducted until 1861, when the nation's call for able-
bodied patriots induced Mr. DeBevoise to suiTender his interest in the
business and take up anns in defense of the Union. In October, 1861,
he enlisted as private in Company F, 95th Infantry, jSTew York Vol-
unteers. He was first under fire in the battle near Gainsville, Virginia,
August 28, 1862. This was one of the battles connected with the sec-
ond battle of Manassas (Bull Run). His regiment was also engaged
the same day in fighting at Groveton, and was again under fire on the

114 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

uOtli. Its losses in this battle aiiiounted to twenty-three killed and
wounded and ninety missing or captured, a total of one hundred and
thirteen. Many of the missing; were also killed or wounded. Mr.
DeBevoise was then promoted to a sergeancy. He was afterward taken
seriously ill and was removed to the Judiciary Square Hospital at Wash-
ington in August of 18C2, and was later transfen-ed to the Simimit
House Hospital at Philadelphia, where he was confined until the sum-
mer of 1803. Upon his convalescence he was made Fii-st Sergeant of
the Veteran's Reserve Corps, 59th Company, Second Battalion, sta-
tioned at Philadelphia, and went on duty enforcing the draft. He was
mustered out in October, 1864, at Han-isburg, Pa. He re-enlistetl March
1st., 1865, in Hancock's First "Veteran Corps as private and was sent to
Hart's Island and attached to Co. B, Second Regiment, U. S. Veteran
Volunteers. They were transported via Fort Monroe to Washington,
then conveyed to Harper's Ferry and Tip the Shenandoah to Winches-
ter, Va., thence to Washington, where they participated in the grand
review of the entire army. They were then transported to Xew York
and up the Hudson to Albany, remaining in the latter city on post duty
until the following March, Avlien they were transfeiTed to Sandy Hook,
wliere in August of 1866, Mr. DeBevoise received his discharge, having
served foiir and one-half years. Mr. DeBevoise then returned to Xew
City and for a number of years assisted his father in the management of
his farm. In 187:^ he i^urchased the grocery business of Alsie Cor-
nelisou in New City, which he carried on for some time, afterwards
leasing it to parties who eventiuilly purchased it and sold it to Theodore
DeNoyelles, the present owner. In 1879 he was united in marriag'e
Avith Ada M. Clark, of Xew City. They have two daughters, Emma C,
born August 4, 1880, and Irene, born October 6, 1882. Mr. DeBevoise
was for nineteen years Postmaster of New City, occupying that office
when it was known as Clarkstown, and was chiefly instrumental in hav
ing the name of the town and post office changed to New City. He
resigned this office October 1st, 1892. He is a member of Edward Pye
Post, No. 179, 0. A. R., and of Stony Point Lodge No. 313, F. and A.M.

GEORGE W. SHERMAN is a native of Fairfield county, Connec-
ticiit. Bom in 1870, he received a gtwd education and early in life
lo.'uned mechanical engineering. This he followed up to the time of
his appointment as General Manager of the factory of the Crown Button

BIOGRAPHICAL US

Company at Spring Valley in 1900. During the time in which he fol-
lowed engineering his operations extended into several States. Mr. Sher-
man now suix'rvises the entire operation of the button factory, in which
employment is furnished to about fifty hands. Socially he is associated
with the Sons of Veterans and Odd Fellows, and is a progressive and
energetic business man. Mr. Sherman is a descendant from an old Colo-
nial family of Xew England and his ancestors for many genei'atioiis
have been residents of Faii-field county. His family consists of
his wife, formerly Minnie J. Beaman, of Shelton, Conn., and they have
six children: Percy, Whitney, Edith, Vianna, Elbert and Fannie.

LOUIS BOECHER is a native of Germany, having been born in
Hessian Darmstadt October 2Sth, 1841). At the age of four and one-
half years his parents removed to America, locating at Brooklyn, and
at ten yeai's of age lie was apprenticed to a tinsmith, with whom he
worked the following three years. He then took up the trade of wheel-
wright, seiwed his apprenticeship and was employed by various finns at
this trade until 1870, when he embarked in the hardware business for
himself in Brooklyn. This business he conducted successfully until
1890. He then removed to Spring Valley and established the hard-
ware business that he is now conducting. In 1872 Mr. Boecher was
imited in man-iage with Catherine Lehr, of Brooklyn, N. Y. They
have three children: Louisa, wife of Charles I. Knapp, of Low
Point, N. Y. ; Louis II. and Hilda C. Mr. Boecher is a member of Eidge-
wood Lodge, No. 710, F. and A. M., Brooklyn, X. Y., and Harmonia
Lodge, Xo. Sd'i, I. O. O. F., of Brooklyn. For years he was a member
of and instructor in the AVilliamsburg Turn Verein Athletic Associa-
tion of Brooklyn, but was obliged to resign on his removal to Spring Val-
ley. This removal also necessitated his resignation from the Xinetecnth
Ward Cavalry Association as Lieutenant and as Orderly Sergeant in
Company D, 'N. Y. State Militia, 32d Regiment. Mr. Boecher's father,
Conrad Boecher, was a political refugee from Germany. As First Lieu-
tenant in the Hessian army, he jiarticipatcd in the revolutionary wars of
the German Empire of 18-10 and '50. At the close of the war his prop-
erty, which was considerable, was confiscated and he was obliged to flee
to America for protection. On his arrival h(> opened a merchant tailor-
ing establishment in Brooklyn, which he conducted for many years. He
died in 1889.

116 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

GEOEGE W. SCOTT \ras Un-u in Ero.iklyn, X. Y., October 14th,
1868. After leaving school he wa.s a fireman on the railroad for two
years, then entered the wholesale' grocery hons<' df Austin, Nichols &
Co., with whom he remained until he entered the employ of Mrs. Agnes
Haerter as bookkeeper in her pijje factoiy at Spring Valley, N. Y. Mr.
Scott remained with her until November, 1900, when he M'ent into part-
nership with Mr. Kliethermes and ])urcliased the business that they are
now successfully condvicting under the firm name of Scott &Klietlienues.
Their briar and apple-wood smoking pipes reach all parts of the country,
aiul are noted for excellence and artistic finish. The business was estab-
lished in 18G0 by William Heyenga, the first pipe manvifacturer in
America. The finn employ between forty and fifty hands and man-
vifacture many different styles of briar ami apple-wood pijx^s. Tlie fac-
tory is situated on Central avenue in the A'illage of Spring Valley. Mr.
Scott's wife was Nellie S. Stoni^, a daughter of one of the projectors of
tlie Bnjoklyn Bridge. They have one child, Julia.

RICIIAED KLIETHERMES, of the firm of Scott & Kliethermes
of Spring Valley, is a native of Gennany, born in 1S5'J. He came to
this country in 1880 and for a year engaged at liis trade of watchmak-
ing in New York. In 1881 he came to Spring Valley and entered tlie
employ of AVilliam Heyenga, the pipe manufacturer. lie remained
Avith these works until he, in connection with Mr. Scott, purchased the
business in 1900 now conducted under the firm name of Scott & Klie-
tliermes. During most of that time he was in the employ of Mr. Hey-
enga as foreman of tlie factory. Mr. Kliethemies is identified with
various associations. His family consists of his wife, who was Mary E.
Kniess, of Spring Valley, and tliree children: William, Richard and
Mary. The finn of which he is a member employ about forty hands.

CHARLES YOUNG ^ras born in Viola January 27th, 1844. He
attended school there and remained home on the farm until twenty-two
years of age, when he established himself in the milk business. After
two years he engaged in the retail meat business, which he conducted up
to the year 1886, when he established his present livery stables near the
Spring Valley depot. Mr. Young was married in 1864 to Annie Iser-
man, who departed this life in 1890. His family now consists of three
children: Minnie, Nettie, married to George Remsen, and ilabel.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 117

Charles Young possesses tlie most complete estal)lislimeiit in his line in
the town and does a tliriviiig business. He owns the building as well
as the business and also owns a fine residence in the village. George
TJemsen is associated with his father-in-law and he is a very energetic and
reliable assistant. Mr. Eem-sen's family consists of wife and two chil-
dren, Ethel M. and Velvia. He is identified with the Foresters, Royal
Arcanum, K. of P., etc. Jacob Young, the father of the subject of this
sketch, was born near Monsey, liockland county, ISTovember 2, 1813.
The early years of his life were passed on his father's farm and at the
age of twenty-four he embarked in the grocery business at Viola, which
he conducted some thirteen years. He then purchased a farm near Viola.
where he resided for many years, afterwards removing to Spring Val-
ley. His ^nfe, fonnerly Jane Ackennan Ramsay, died February 2,
ISSf).

WILLIAM HEYENCxA was born in East Friesland, Germany,
August Sth, 1827. His schof)ling was obtained in the jniblic schouls
of his native place and at the age of fourteen lie was apprenticed and
served four years at the horn turning trade. He then, in 1850, to<ik a
position as foreman in a pearl button factory in the Ilartz ]\Iountains of
Germany. This position he occupied alwut nine years, and then began
manufacturing pearl Inittons on his nva\ account. He conducted this
estalilishment imly a short time, when he sold out and came to America.
He landed in Xew York in ISfiO, and shortly aft/Cnvard, in company
with Mr. Lesser, began iu a small way the manufacture of pipes. Their
combined cash capital at this time auumnted to .$2. .50, but the business
grew gradually and surely. Soon larger quarters were needed to handle
the increasing trade. ^lachinerv gradually took the jilace of hand labor
and with the advent of the Civil War this infant enterprise lea])ed into
instant prominence and prosperity. Mr. Heyenga was the first inanu-
facturer of pipes in America. He invented and patented the pipe covers
that were vised so extensively a few years ago. He was also the first in
this country to adopt the use of the metal fen-ule which is now seen
on a majority of pipes. As their liusiness increased investments were
made in real estate and they finally operated and owned throughout,
three large factories, all in New York and employing aliout one liuudred
and fifty hands. Their trade extended all over the civilized world. Mr.
Heyenga retired from active life for a time in 1880 and moveil to Spring

118 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Valley, his present, home. Tiring of an inactive life, the following year
lie established a pipe factory at Spring Valley. He operated this fac-
tory a few years and then turned it over to his son Herman, who man-
aged the concern nntil 1894, when he died. Mr. Heyenga's daughter
Ag-nes, widow of Hugo Ilaerter, then took active management of the bus-
iness, and ably demonstrated her executive abilit}' as superintendent
and business manager. In 1900 she leased the business to Messrs. Scott
it Klietliermes. Mr. Scott was formerly the bookkeeper and j\Ir. Ivlie-
thermes the foreman during Mrs. Ilaerter's regime. Thej' are still con-
ducting the business, manufacturing briar and mereschaum pipes. In
1857 William Ileyenga married Lena Juacks. They have five children,
two of whom are living, Mrs. Agnes Ilaerter and Anna Ileyenga, both
living with their father at the home in Spring Valley. Mr. Ileyenga is
Past Master and a charter mendier of Tetonia Lodge, Xo. 017, T. and A.
M., and Past Noble Grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

I. C. LINDEMAXX is a native of Germany. He was born in the
year 1841, and learned his trade of jiipe making before coming to Amei--
iea. He worked at his trade in New York and then located in Spring
Valley, X. Y., where he is still conducting business. He manufactures a
very fine line of pipes and his goods reach all parts of the country. ^Ir.
Lindemann has been a widower for the past fourteen years. He has
three children living: Otto, Adela and Ida. He is connected with the
Odd Fellows, etc., and is a very industrious and honorable (Jerman
American.

A. S. BURXS., Jr., was bom in New York city, :\rarcli 22d, 1875.
He received his education in the schools at Woodside and Flushing, L.
I., and after leaving school immediately entered his father's wholesale
establishment devoted to supplying the Xew York market -wnth choice
flowers. He also for a time took charge of his father's gre<?nhouse at
Woodside. February 1st, 1S90, he established his present greenhouses
in Spring Valley, which now cover about four acres and contain 17,000
square feet of glass. These greenhouses contain all modern features and
in them ^h: Burns makes a specialty of raising a superior line of
carnations for the Xew York market. Since coming to Spring Valley
Mr. Burns has erected a very elegant residence adjoining his greenhouses
and in February, 1902, he was united in marriage to Miss Annie E.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 119

Clougli. A thoi-ough giiing busiiit'ss man aiid a roprcsciitativc citizen,
A. S. Bnrns will continue to gTow in the esteem of all and his business
will undonhtcilly l)cor)nie the leading cstal)lishm(>nt of tiie kind in this
vicinity.

GEORGE EARDIN, Jr., is a native of Enissels, Belgium, coming
to America while an infant with his parents. His father for a number
of yeai's past has owned and conducted the St. George Hotel, of Nyack,
N. Y., and for a time succeeding his arrival in America was private
secretary to Jim Fisk. George Bardin, Jr., attended the public schools
of New York city as a boy and later learned the hotel business under
the able tuition of his father. During 18S5 and 1886 he was bookkeeper
for the St. Nicholas Club on Fifth avenue, one of the fashionable clubs
of the city. 18!) 3 he accepted a position with the Bowery Fire Insur-
ance Company of New York. He remained with this company three
years when he resigned and shortly after opened a restaiirant and cater-
ing establishment at Yonkers. Under his management this place became
famous as a fashionable restaurant, ranking with Delmonico's of New
York, and was known as the finest catering establishment in ^Vestcheste^
county. In 1899 he sold out his Yonkers establishment and for a time
managed his father's business during his trip aliroad. In 1893 he was
united in marriage with Marion S., daughter of the late J. H. Hay, U.
S. A., of Salem, N. Y. They have two children, Louis Hay, eight years
of age, and George Seabnry, five years old.

i[RS. MARY G. PARTRIDGE, of Nyack, came to America from
Scotland with her parents. They first settled in New York city. Her
father afterwards moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and in 1846 she
married John G. Gunn. 'Mr. Gunn died in 1869 and on July 2d, 1873,
she married her second husband, Mr. J. C. Partridge, who died in May,
1889. Upon both her father's and mother's side she is of Scotch
descent. Her father, Peter MacMillen, was a member of the celebrated
MacMillau family, and her mother, Catherine Maclntyre, of the well
known ilaolntyres. With her first husband she lived in Nyack until
his death in 1869, and later mth Mr. Partridge, whose death occurred
in 18S!). During her long residence in Nyack ^Irs. Partridge has Ix^en
especially interested in and influential towards furthering the temper-
ance cause. She has been identified with the leading movenu'nts which

120 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

liavc had this end in view, such as the "Helping Hand," in whieh she is
a Directress, and others. Mrs. Partridge is also a member of the TJniver-
■salist Chnrch, and lias always worked heart and hand for all churches.
Her benevolence and assistance is cherished and her influence for good
has long been recognized in this community. We may add that she
"has worn the white rose of a blameless life and worn it well." An inci-
dent worthy of note in her family history is that her mother, Catherine
Maclntyre, lived for nine years with Sir Walter Scott's family as gov-
erness.

HAREY HIRSCHFELD is among the prosperous business men
of Haverstraw. He has heen located in this countrv' for about fifteen
years and has been engaged in the grocery business, and is now in the
wholesale liquor business. He was for two years engaged in business in
New York city. Mr. Hirschfeld's family consists of wife (who was
Miss Jennie Engel, of New York) and three children: Morris, Florence
and Estelle. Mr. Hirschfeld has become identified with the fire depart-
ment and is considered a wide-awake and jirosix^rons and up-to-date bus-
ine.ss man. He has many friends wherever known.

LAURITZ TERJMANSEN, Stony Point, is a native of Denmark.
He received an education in the schools of that counti-y and afterwards
entered the Technical Institute at Copenhagen, from which he received
a degree in ISfifi. He then for a time worked with Holmes P>ros., who
hold the title of Royal Painters. In ISCu Mr. Termansen decided to
come to America and settled in New York city, where he followed the
art of decorating for a number of years. In 1S70 the first Charleston
Institute Fair was opened and Mr. Termansen was sent there to super-
vise the decorations of the Academy of Music. This work was of such
a high order of excellence that the Institute grantefl him a diploma. In
1872 he entered the Royal Academy of Art at Munich for one year and
the year following he piirsued his studies in the Paris Art Institute.
He then returned to New York, where he resumed work in decorating
and painting. April 29th, 1879, Mr. Termansen married Lena Young,
daughter of Conrad Young, of Stony Point, and they have one daughter,
Clara. Mr. Termansen has served as Justice of the Peace and is now a
member of the Boai-d of Education. Terman Lauritsen, Mr. Terman-
sen's father, was born in 1816, and died in 1808. He was in the early

BIOGRAPHICAL,. 121

part (if his career a contractor, but later engaged in the wholesale grain
business, and was also a prominent dealer in cattle, buying and shipping
the latter to England. In accordanc<> with a custom then in vogue,
the eldest son assumed the name of his father, with the name reversed,
thus Terman Lauritsen's eldest son is known as Lauritz Terraansen. In
an elegant residence overlooking the scenes of many famous events in
our country's history, Mr. Termansen passes the days of his middle life
in quiet repose and in the enjoyment of health, prosperity ami a united
famil3^

ALFRED SMITH was bom in the town of Ramapo, near Viola,
May 13, 1839. His education was obtained in that neighborJiood. At an
early age he left school and devoted his time to assisting his father on the
farm. Fjinn the death of his father in 1861 he took the entire manage-
ment of tlie place. In 1879 Mr. Smith married Alice Bradbury, for-
merly of Philadelphia, but at the time of their marriage and for the nine
years preceding, she, with Miss Wood, as the finn of Wood & Bradbury,
conducted a dry goods and millinery establishment at Spring Valley.
In 1884 Mr. Smith sold his farm and purcha.sed j\liss Wowl's interest
in the Spring Valley establishment and has since devoted his time with
Mrs. Smith in conducting the same, under tlie firm name of A. Smith &
Co.. They haxv one daughter, Harriet 1!. Smith, ilr. Smith has served
as Postmaster of the town and during the Civil War went (lut with tiie
Seventeenth Xew Vork ifilitia. With his family he is a memlier of
the S])ring Valley IMethodist Church, of which he is trustee and .stew-
ard. He was one of the organizers as well as one of the first tnistees
of the Mousey Congregational Church. Mr. Smith was also one of the
charter members of the Brewer Fire Engine Company of Mousey. Ilis
mother, Mrs. Hannah Smith, died February 13th, 1902, aged 93 years.
Mr. Smith comes, on his father's side, from an old Pnckland county fam-
ily, and (in the mother's side he is descended from Tiarret Serveu, County
Judge and Surrogate, and also from .Tames Taylor of Mousey, wlio was
for many years Justice of the Peace.

HARRY C. WANAMAKER was bom in Suffern January 1st,
1857. He attended the schools oi Suffern and in 1870-1871 the Fort
Edward Collcginte Institute. In 1873 ^Ir. Wananuiker began learning
the mason and builder's trade, whicli he followed until 1876, when he

122 HISTOK\ OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

and liis brotlicr, Winfield S. "Wanauiakcr, Itcgaii contracting and build-
ing. The two brothers continued this business until IS'JG, wlicn AA'in-
tield S. pnndiasod liis Ijrotlior's lialf interest and l>ecanie the soh' owner.
At tliat time the Wiiritner Lumber Company- was being organized and
Harry C. Wanamalver became a st«ck hokler in the company, and in
May, 1S9S, was elected S(>cretary and ^lanager. Mr. Wanamaker is a
member of the Sutfern Fire Commission. In 1882 he was elected to the
office of Justice of the Peace, which office he held continuously until
1898. He is a member of Ramapo Lodge, No. .589, F. and A. M., and
Eureka Chapter, No. 282, 11. A. M. He is also a member of the Hud-
son Kiver Commandery, Knights Templar, of Newburgh, and Mecca
Teiuple, Mystic Shrine, of New York. In 1893 Mr. Wanamaker mar-
ried Miss Minnie J]edell, of Brooklyn, N. Y. They have three chil-
dren: Helen E., Otis Douglas and Edna Louise. The Wanamakers
originally came from the Palatinate of the Rhine, and in 16(50 settk'd
near llolxjken, N. J. In 1()87 Jdlin Wanamaker settled near Suffern
at what is nf)W ]\Iahwah, N. J., where he took up a considerable tract of
land on which he erected a homestead, wliich is still standing. The
proj^erty, however, has long since passed out of the hands of the Wan-
amaker family. Mr. Wanainaker's father, Henry J., was born in Suf-
fern September 5, 1812, and died in lss7.

ELMER VAN ORDEN was l)orn September 21, 1807, at Tallmans,
N. Y. He attended the public schools there and after leaving school
learned the jdumbing aiul steam fitting trade. In 1892 he established
himself in tliis business on Main street. Spring Valley. He also carries a
stock of stoves and tin-ware. Elmer VanOrden is a member of the Od<l
Fellows and is a capable and esteemed citizen of the village. John
Henry VanOrden, father of Elmer VanOrden, is of Holland descent,
a native of Spring Valley, and with the exception of two years in New
York lie has always lived in Rockland county. His father, Thomas, was
also l)orn in this vicinity. The children of Thomas and Catherine
(Myers) VanOrden were: Eliza, manned Abram VanZant of Spring
Valley; Anna ilaria, died young; Catherine, married Abram Blauvelt
of New City; Hannah Jane, married Abram Blauvelt of Nanuet; Maria,
married Frederick Vanllouten, of Spring Valley; Peter, died young;
John H., married Ann Ackerman, as above; Stephen, man'ied Eliza-
beth Bogert of Tallmans; Ann Lavina, died young. When twenty-one

BIOGRAPHICAL. 123

years of age John Henry YanOrdcn niarricil Ann Ackvniian and moved
to Tallnians. Hero Mr. YanOrden earried on tlie hlaeksniitli Ini.siness
for forty years. In ISUC) lie returned to Spring- Valley, where he now
resides retired from active business. His family consists of three chil-
dren: Cornelia, married to James Edward Hunter; Elmer, nnmarried;
Frank, married to (Jertrude Young. Cornelia and James Edward Hun-
ter have three children, Joseph, John and ifartin. Frank, wIkj married
Gertrude Young, has two children, Helen and Harold.

WILLIAM P. VAN PELT, who is living on a tine farm of fifty
acres near Nannet, has been a lifelong agrienlturalist, as was his father
before him. In every detail of farm life he is thoronghly practical and
the neat apjiearance of his place bears testimony to the tln-ift and indus-
try of the owner. lie was born ^NTovember Gth, 1832, in Queens county,
L. I., and is of Holland descent. His great grandfather came to this
countrj' from Holland and settled on Long Island. His father, Peter
VanPelt, was born at Perth Amboy, and was a carpenter and
boat builder by trade, which he canned on in conjunction with
farming. Our subject attended the public .schools and assisted his
father on the farm until 1878, when he removed to Rix'kland county
and ])urchased his present farm, one of the best iTi point of improve-
ment in the county. Our subject married in April, 1862, Miss Henrietta
Cooper of New Y'ork city. To Mr. and Mrs. VanPelt tliere have been
born thirteen children, eight of whom are living, viz. : William, Emma,
Clara, Annie, Harriet, (leorge, Edward and John. William is married
to Miss Lucretia Bates of West Nyack, and resides in Pennsylvania,
and follows farming; they have one child. Emma is mamed to John
Bates, butcher, of Xyack, and has two children. Clara is married to
Charles Sickles, carpenter, of Nyack, and they have two children. Annie
is married to Frank Ryson, fanner, near Nanuet, and has two children.
Harriet is married to I\. Drake, farmer, whose propei-ty adjoins Mr. Van-
Pelt's; they have one child. George, Edward and John, the youngest
of the family, are yet at home with their parents. Mr. VanPelt while a
resident of Long Island was elected Alderman for the year 1876. As
a citizen he is progressive, able and honorable, and the record of his
life, both pulilic and jirivate, is blameless.

124 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

RICHARD E. KING is a native of Ireland, having been born in
Tralce, county of KeiTV. His father, Richard King, Sr., was a black-
smith by trade, but during the later years of his residence in Irelantl was
engaged in the leather business quite extensively. The subject of this
sketch received a good education in the schools of liis native place, and
also at times worked in his father's establishment, thereby obtaining a
thorough knowledge of the manufacture of shoes from a workman's
standpoint. At the age of fifteen the family removed to this coun-
try, locating in Brookl^'n. From 1867 and for live years thereafter,
Richard E. was employed in a Brooklyn shoe factory, and in 1872
accepted a position as foreman in the shoe manufacturing concern of ,T.
O. Whitehouse, one of the oldest concerns of the kind in the country,
located at Poughkeepsie. He remained with this finn two years. In
1S74 he took a similar position with Mr. Jackman of Brooklyn, who
in 1S7G removed his plant to Nyack. He held the position of foreman
A\'ith this firm until 1893, when he was appointed by Sheriff Dickey to
the office of ITnder Sheriff, and also served as sealer of weights and
measures duriug his administration. While holding the office of Under
Sheriif and until 1897 he was engaged as salesman for the George Hil-
lard Shoe Ifanufacturing Company of Xew York. In 1S97 Mr. King
established the shoe manufacturing business in Nyack which he is now
successfully conducting. His factory has a capacity of four hundred
jiairs of ladies' and children's shoes per day, employs about sixty hands
and is situated at the corner of Jackson avenue and AVashington street.
Mr. King has at various times served as Excise Commissioner, Village
Trustee, Chairman of the Orangetown Democratic town committee, and
as a member of the Board of Sewer Commissioners. He is a member of
Court Tappan Zee, Foresters of America, a Trustee in St. Ann's R. C.
Churcli and President of the Men's Society of that clnn-ch. In 1S7.^) he
married iliss ilary Reddy, of TCew York. They have five children li^'-
ing: Lillian, Richard E., Jr., Mary K., Alice and Joseph L.

GEORGE WEIMER was born at Wnrtcmbm-g, Germany, Feb-
ruary 23, 1865. At the age of 23 lie came to America. Dm-ing the
five years succeeding his amval in this country he was engaged in var-
ious occupations. For a time he resided in Xew York. He then
removed to Connecticut and tlu'n resided for a year or two in Georgia.
In 1890 he was united in marriage with Elizabeth Ehrhardt, a native of

BIOGRAPHICAL. 125

Bavaria, Germany. Tlicy have four children: William, llatilcla, Elise
anil Mary. In isy3 Mr. AVeimer removed to New City and opened the
Union Hotel, which he is conducting to-day, and which has proved a
very profitable investment. Mr. Weimer is a thorough, painstaking
business man, zealous and careful in his undertakings and enjoys a rep-
utation for strict integrity and honest dealings in the community in
which he resides. He is a member of the Benevolent Society of New
City and of the New City Fire Department.

THE TORSWOLD FAKM. Located within a half-mile of the vil-
lage of New City lies this celebrated dairy farm. It was formerly called
the "Stevens Farm," although it has been in the possession of the Car-
nochan family since the present proprietor was ten years of age. Dr.
Carnochan, a we^ilthy New York physician, purchased it as a summer
home and it came into the possession of Mrs. Harriet Frances VanZandt,
his daughter, through inheritance. Mrs. VanZandt personally super-
vises the place. The farm house is an old Dutch mansion beautifully
situated upon an eminence overlooking a wide stretch of mountain and
valley scenery. With Tor Mountain and Sliort and Long Clove in the
distance a view is presented inexpressibly grand and beautiful. It is,
however, not alone a beautiful spot; it is also a thriving, well kept farm,
which lends to this place its chief significance. Here are modern barns,
with the latest improved sanitary arrangements. Artisian wells supply
crystal water to each stall; concrete floors, wash basins for milk men,
separate apartments for straining the milk, washing, filling, capping, ice-
ing and sterilizing the bottles, with a cold storage compartment for hold-
ing milk until hour of shipment, are a few of the features of this up-to-
date dairy. All the milk and cream is inspected and certified pure by
the Milk Commissioner of New York and so branded. The Torswold
herd of approximately one hundred head of the finest registered Jersey
cows fimiishes pure, rich jiroducts to a select New York market, ilrs.
VanZandt, the proprietor, was educated in Eurojie and America. Slie
has her home filled with rare antiqiies in furniture, china, old silver,
cut glass and other heirlooms which have descended to her from the
Morris, Ludlow, Carnochan and VanZandt families. Portraits of her
father and grandmother by Sir Thomas La%vi-ence are very highly
prized. Mrs. VanZandt has an ideal homo and a thriving farm, and cer-
tainly has every detail pertaining to the business thoroughly systcma-

126 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

tized. Her two sons, Thomas W. and Lewis Morris, are at present in
Columbia College. She has two daugliter.s, Mrs. Richard Mortimer
Young and Mary Alida Ludlow, also a little boy, William Wyant
A^anZandt.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS SERVEN was born at the old home-
stead of his family, on the Xyaek Turnpike, at Xanuet, X. Y., May 17,
18(iS. lie is the son of James Serven, the sun of Aury Serven, who
was the son of Abram Serven, who died in ISOO, and whose father came
from Holland. All were prosperous farmers and all lived at the old
homestead at Xanuet. His father's mother, Martha Blauvelt, was a
daughter of Nicholas Blauvelt, who was a son of Josej)!! Blauvelt, born
in Orangetown Septend)er 17, 1740. The Blauvelt family has been con-
nected with Rockland coiuity since the earliest times, and was repre-
sented in the colony which purchased lands from the Indians and settled
Orangetown. Lamliert Ariansen, one of the patentees, was married to
Margaret Blauvelt. The names of Abram Blauvelt and wife appear in a
census of the county taken in 1702. A record of the old Tappan ( 'hurch
for the year 1728 bears the name of Johannes "Blawfelt" as a member of
the church. The family originally came from Holland. The mother of
AVillian] A. Serven was Sarah Oliver Swenarton, whose father was
Thomas II. Swenarton, a jirosperous contractor of Xew York city. The
Swenarton family can be traced back to the year 1100, during the time
of William the Conqueror, who presented a valuable tract of land to
William Rufus Swenarton, for saving his life on the battlefield. In the
course of time the family divided; one branch settled at Londonderry,
in the North of Ireland, and became established in the Quaker faith.
From this branch of the Swenarton family ]\[rs. Serven was descended.
Her grandfather came to this country in 17'J0. Tiie coat-of-arms of the
Swenarton family is a wild boar. Swenarton Hall is in Staffordshire,
England. The mother of !Mrs. Serven was Margaret Ashton-Swenarton,
who was born in Wheeling, W. Va., in 1815, and later moved to Ohio,
Avhere her family, the Ashtons, became prominent. The mother of Mar-
garet A.shton (Swenarton) was born in county Armagh, Ireland, of an
Episcopalian family. William A. Serven first attended the public
schools at Nanuet, then Banuister's Academy at Park Ridge, N. J., and
completed his education at the Hackensack High School, from wiiich
he was graduated in 1SS5. Upon leaving school he accepted a position

BIOGRAPHICAL. 127

with a liardware finii in New York city, with wliich he continiied for six
years, until jiist before his marriage, when be came to Pearl Kiver and
built a cottage on Sei-ven's Heights. He then entered into business with
his father, who is one of the oldest merchants and conducting one of the
largest mercantile interests in Rockland county. He was man-ied, Octo-
ber 14, 1891, in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Spring Valley by the
Rev. Thomas Stephens to Lulu Alma Edsall of Spring Valley, a
daughter of Isaac W. Edsall, Port Warden of New York city, wlio
resides at Spring Valley, at which place his daughter was born, Feb-
ruary 3d, 1872. She is a graduate of the Nonnal College. Mr. and
Mrs. William A. Serven have had three children: Woolsey Austin Ser-
ven, born May 8, 1892; Reginald Grant Serven, bom September 17,
1807, died September 17, 1898; James Edsall Serven, born December
20, 1899. Besides being in business with his father, Mr. Serven is inter-
ested in real estate, is Postmaster at Pearl River and owns and manages
the "Brookside Ice Cream Parlors," one of the finest places of the sort
in the county. He is a Director of the Eureka Savings and Loan Asso-
ciation and was an iucorporater of the Park Building and Savings Asso-
ciation and of Unique Hall. Though an active Rei)ublican worker, he
has never accepted political office, except his pi'esent position as Post-
master, to which he was appointed in 1897. He has been a delegate to
some of Rockland county's most important conventions, is an Odd Fel-
low and a member of the Royal Arcanum, and attends St. Stephen's
Episcopal Church.

ULYSSES G. HARTNG is a native of Rockland county. He was
born at Tap])an July 13, 1865. At the age of five years his par-
ents removed to Englewood, N. J., where he received his education. In
1878 the family came to Suffern and for a time he attended the public
school, and in 1881 began learning the plumbing business, following
tliat as a trade until 1892, when lie i)urehased tiie plumbing establisliment
of T. N. Washburn, in Suffern, and has since conducted the same.
In September, 1900, Cornelius Kievit of Passiuc, N. J., ])urchased an
interest in the business, and since then it has been run as a company with
Mr. Haring as manager. In 1890 he married Miss Lillic Banta, of Mah-
wah, N. J. They have one boy, Ralph, and reside at Mahwah, X. J.,
about two miles south of Suffern. ifr. Haring lia.s served as Justice of
the Peace for Mahwah and has also been a member f)f the Board of Edu-

128 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

cation of that place. He belongs to the Junior Order of United Amer-
ican Mechanics. The ancestors of the subject of this sketch originally
settled at Tap]ian in the early part of the eighteenth century. George
N. Hariug, his father, was boni at Tappan and followed the trade of
wheelwright until a few years previous to his death, which occurred in
May, 1900. His mother, Mrs. Martha DePew (Haring) is still living.

G. T. ODELL, Congei-s, is a native of Yonkers, N. Y. He received
his education in the schoids there and early in life learned the ti-ade of a
printer, and worked at this trade for some years. He later traveled on
the road for Vanderveer & Holmes, afterward the National Biscuit Co.,
and in 1S90 he located in Congers. In 1898 he was appointed Post-
master of the village, which office he still holds. Mr. Odell has served as
delegate to numerous conventions and also as chairman of the County
Committee. He is a member of the Board of Education of Congers and
an honorary member of the Fire Department. Mr. Odell is a hard
worker for the welfare of Congers and has been identified with every
movement having the good of the village in view. He and Joseph Kelly
established the improvement association and this year (1902) he expects
to see very effective improvements made in this village. His family con-
sists of \vife, formerly Miss Emma K. Graham, and two children: Helen
R. and Catherine W. He is a member of Rising Star Lodge, 450, F. and
A. M., of Yonkers, N. Y.

T. J. MC GO WAN", the well known undertaker of Haverstraw, has
been engaged in the business for over twenty years and from the begin-
ning gained success; he has in every instance made friends of his custom-
ers. He is a man of upright life and fair dealing and merits prospeinty on
account of his worthy characteristics and his good business methods. He
was born in Haverstraw in December, 1862, where he attended the pub-
lic school and later gTaduated from the Moimtain Institute. At the
age of sixteen he started out in life by learning the tinsmith trade, which
he followed for nearly three years. In 1880 he opened up an \mdertak-
ing business in Haverstraw, which he has made a success of. He ojx'ued
a branch office in Yonkers in iN^ovember, 1901. He has held the office
of Coroner for the coimty for six years, 1893-5 and 1899-1901 ; was also
Secretary of the Board of Health from 1899 to 1901. Fraternally he is
a niend)cr of the Knights of Columbus of New York city and of the Elks

BIOGRAPHICAL. 129

of Yonkers. ]\Ir. McGowaii was niarried September 1st, ISS-t, to Maiy
F. Miirpliy, daughter of Tlioiiias Miuiihy of Ilaverstraw. Tliey have
had three chikh-en. The eklest, Adelaide, died at the ag-e of seven years;
Junaita, who is now ten years okl, and Thomas, seven yeai-s. Terrence
McGowan, father of the above, is living retired in Haverstraw, where
he is well known and respected.

M. F. DEMING of Tappan was born in Orange county, N. Y.,
Augaist 20, 1871. In 1898 the Cereo Company of Tappan was incor-
porated and Mr. Ueming was elected Manager and Treasurer, which
position ho now holds.

CHAELES A. KLEIN was born at Jersey City Heights, N. J., and
received his education at that place. In 1883 he came to Nyack and
the tliree years following was employed in the meat markets of this
city, and until 1890 served in a similar capacity in Iloboken, N. J. In
1890 he returned to Nyack and opened a meat market and grocery store
com])ined on South Broadway, where he now conducts business, enjoying
the patronage of a large share of the Nyack trade. Having thoroughly
mastered every detail of the business, he always places before his cus-
tomers the best the market affords. Mr. Klein is a K. of P., and a
much respected and esteemed business man of Nyack, whose word is as
good as his bond.

NYACK MILITARY ACADEMY. The present Superintendent
of the Nyack Militaiy Academy', Edwin Stanton Field, was born in
Philadelphia in 1869. His education was obtained in private schools
of that city and he graduated from the Hamilton School in the class of
1880, Magna cum Laude. From there he entered the Scientific School
of the University of Pennsylvania, and subsequently received the degree
I if M. E. He then taught for two years in the Hamilton School, Phila-
delphia, and the following year he spent in traveling in the Western
States. The succeeding five years he was engaged in teaching in repre-
sentative schools of the country, including the Ohio Military Institute of
Cincinnati, Ohio, and the New York Military Academy, Cornwall, N. Y.
In 1899 he was given the degree of Bachelor of Literature by the Univer-
sity of Illinois. In 1900 he founded and became the first Superintendent
of this Academy. The Nyack Military Academy is a boarding school

130 HISTORi' OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

for refiner] young men and boys and Las a large estate on Broadway,
Avliose continuation runs through Xyack, and while it is the fii-st year of
its existence, arrangements are being made for a school of very large
numbers. The Board of Advisors up to 1903 is as follows: Mr. Tru-
man H. Baldwin, of Xyack; Mi'. George F. Miller, of Xyack; Mr. Be-
niah Y. Frost, of Xyack; Mr. J. T. Kirby, of Xew York city; Mr. James
Pacey, of Xyack; Mr. J. M. Saxton, of Bridgeport, Conn.; Hon. Arthur
S. Tompkins, CongTessman from X. Y. State; lion. George Dickey,
of the State Legislature; Hon. Edmond II. Driggs, of Brooklyn; Hon.
Edward H. Brandt, of "Watertown, Wis.; Major William A. Stokes, of
'2ud Begiment of Brooklyn.

HAET BOUTOX HARGRAVES is a native of Montclair, X. J.
He attended school at Bloomfield, X. J., and in Xew York city, after
which he entered the establishment of A. & W. Spragiie as a designer
and remained there for five years. In 1871 Mr. Ilargraves accepted a
position with Garner A: Co., at Garnerville, and has continued with the
works there ever since. In 1870 Mr. Ilargi-aves married Miss Ida L.
Wade and their family consists of three children: Henry, Frederick
and Ida ]\Iay, all of whom ai'c man'ied. Henry Ilargraves's wife was
Miss Alice Eadclitf. Frederick Hargraves married Gertrude Maslin
and Ida ilay Ilargraves maiTicd J. George Cra\vford. Mr. Ilargraves
is a 32d Degree Mason and a Past Master of Stony Point Lodge of
Haverstraw, and a member of ^lecca Temple, Xew York city. He is a
member of lona Lodge, Xo. 128, Knights of Pythias, of which he has
been Chancellor Commander; Highland Chapter, Xo. 52, 11. A. M.,
Xewburg, and of Hudson River Commandery, Xo. 35, K. T. He is also
a Past Grand of Sequel Lodge, Xo. 542, I. 6. O. F., Haverstraw, X. Y.

ORIEXT C. PIXCKXEY was born at Grand View, Rockland
county, X^. Y., ilay 24, 1872. If there is any truth in the old adage that
''the seventh son of a seventh son is born with a clear insight into fu-
ture events," certainly Mr. Pinckney should be very successful in all
his undertakings, for he is the seventh son of a seventh son. His father's
family consisted of seven sons, he being the yoimgest. Stephen R.
Pinckney,, his father, resided at Grand View for thirty-seven years. In
the summer of '63 he with his wife spent a few weeks at Grand View
and they were so delighted with the place that they returned the fol-

BIOGRAPHICAI,. 131

lowing summer and purchased the property upon which they had resided
the summer previous. This they enlarged and rebuilt into an elegant
home. Of the seven sons only three survive: William, Courtney and
Orient. Orient received an excellent education and early resolved upon
an active business career. In 189!) he became a partner in the insur-
ance brokerage house of Samuels, Cornwall & Stephens, of 62 William
street, Xew York. In the latter part of 11*01 he was the prime mover iu
establishing the Church Motor and Launch Co. in Nyack, of which
he is Vice-President and General Manager. His company is building a
very fine line of launches for a high class New York trade, which they se-
cure through the New York office at 62 William street. There is no
doubt but this enterprise has been of great benefit to the village. Few
business men have done more in a lifetime for the general welfare of a
place than has this company iu establishing such an enterprise where
certainly such enterprises are badly needed.

THOMAS GAKDINEK, of Highland Falls, X. Y., was bom in
England November 11th, 1848. Early iu life he learned the baker's
trade at which he worked for a time before he came to this country, iu
1868; he also worked at his trade after coming here, in Newburgh, N.
Y., and later engaged in railroading and moved to Port Jervis, N. Y.
There he lived for twenty-five years highly respected and esteemed. He
served as Excise Commissioner for six years and was identified with
local affairs. In 1890 he moved to Highland Falls, N. Y., and estab-
lished the Gardiner Hotel, which he still conducts. Mr. Gardiner's wife
was Miss Annie Colgan and his family consists of three children, James
F., Mary and Thomas, Jr.

JOHN HEITLINGEE is a native of Gernuuiy, lioru in Pxulen and
educated at that place. He was engaged at various occupations until
twenty years of age, when he was obliged to begin regular service in the
German army. After serving a year in the ranks, and army life becom-
ing very distasteful to him, he decided to cast his fortunes across the
water, and landed at New York in June, 1870. Mr. Heitlinger imme-
diately came to Stony Point and for a number of years was engaged with
a brick machinery manufactory. In 1874 he took up the occupation
of farming, which he still continues. In 1893, with Mr. Patrick Sliney,
he engaged in the manufacture of brick, their yards being located at

132 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Grassy Point. In 1898 ]\Ir. Sliuey retired and ilr. E. O. Rose purehased
liis interest, wliicli li-e still retains, and the business is condncted by Ileit-
linger and Eose jointly. In 1870, just previous to liis departure for
America, Mr. ITeitlinger married ]\Iiss Anna Flacks, of Baden. Tlicy
have five children: Margaret, Anna, Katie, Emily and John A. Anna
married James Nutley, who is engaged in the cloth refinishing business
in Xew York. Emily married Leslie O. Lynch, a teacher in the Xew
York public schools. Mr. Ileitlinger and family reside on the farm but
a short drive from the village of Stony Point.

BENJAMIN V. DOLPH, M. D., was born at Port Jervis, Orange
county, N. Y., October 18th, 1875. He received an education in the
Port Jervis jiublic schools and the Port Jervis Academy, graduating
from the latter institution in 18!J;3. In 1895 he entered Syracuse LTiii-
versity, taking up the study of medicine, and graduated from the med-
ical de]>artment in 1899. He was engaged in hospital practice the year
following at Syracuse, and also at Bellevue Hospital, New York. In
November, 1890, he came to Suil'ern and began the i>ractice of med-
icine, his office being located on Lafayt'tte avenue. Dr. Dolph is a mem-
ber of Baniapo Lodge, E. and A. M., and Eureka Chapter, II. A. M.,
LIudson River Comniandery, No. 25, and is also a member of the Rock-
land County Medical Society. He is the Health Officer for the vil-
lage of Hillburn. His father, Prof. J. M. Dolph, is a native of Tomp-
kins county, N. Y. He for years conducted a preparatory school at
Port Jervis and is now Superintendent of the Port Jervis public schools,
having held that position since 1872. He is a brother of the late Sen-
ator Dolph of Oregon.

GEORGE O. TAYLOR is a native of Pawtucket, R. I., born April
14th, 1835. After receiving a public school education, lie entered the
print works in his native town as a color maker. Later he was an
employee of the Allen Print Works of Providence, R. I., where he
remained until the outbreak of the War of the Rebellion. He then
enlisted in the First Rhode Island V(duntecrs, and with this regiment
participated in the Battles of Bull Run and Harper's Fen-y and in num-
erous skirmishes. At the expiration of his time of enlistment he was dis-
charged, he immediately re-enlisted in the Eleventh Rhode Island
Volunteers, in which he served nine months, principally in Virginia.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 133

Tic was mustered out at Pi'ovidcnce wath the rank of Sergeant in 1803.
ilr. Taylor after being mustered out, again entered the employ of the
Print Works in Providence and remained there until 1865, when he
accepted a position with Garner & Co. of West llavei-straw, and moved
into Rockland county, N. Y. He remained with Garner & Co. until
1871, when he established the grocery business which he still conducts.
Mr. Taylor is a Free Mason and has served in different public offices
since making his home in West Ilaverstraw, chief among which are
those of Justice of the Peace, Road Commissioner and Auditor and
Treasurer of the village. He was man'ied to Miss Sarah A. Fry, of
Providence, R. I., and their family consists of two sons and one daugh-
ter: Everett G., Mary Maud and Charles A. Taylor. Everett G. Tay-
lor's wife was Miss Elizalieth Moffatt, and Charles A. Taylnr married
Miss Fanny Waldron.

WILLIAIM T. PURDY was born in Haverstraw September 24,
184t). When oidy eleven years of age he went as cook on a sailing ves-
sel plying on the Hudson river. He followed the water for nine years,
occupying the various positions from cook to that of the office of first
mate. After leaving the water he worked for about fifteen months in
a meat market. jMarch 7th, 1870, he began work with H. B. jMcKcti-
zie, subsequently MeKonzie Ar Rowan, undertakers and furniture deal-
ers of Haverstraw, with whom lie was employed nine years. He then,
with William Alirams, bought out the business of McKenzie & Rowan,
which they conducted until March, 1880, when Mr. Purdy bought his
])artner's one-half interest in the Inisiness and has since conducted it at
the old location on Alain street. In addition t() his large undertaking bus-
iness Mr. Purdy also carries a stock of furniture, caqiets, etc., and is
perhaps the leading merchant in tliat line in Plaverstraw. In 1S()8 he
married Ella Edwards, of Ulster county. They have had ten children,
five of whom have died. The five living are: Heman M., traveling
salesnum for W. A. Rogers of New York city; William A., employed
with American Narrow Fabric Company, Reading, Pa.; Florence M.,
teacher in the ]>ublic schools of Haverstraw; C. Rodger, student, Syra-
cuse University; Helen L., living at home. Mr. Purdy is one of the
prominent men of Ilaver.straw, conducts a thriving business and is very
highly esteemed, both in business and social circles. He is a Mason
and a member of the Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. He has ever

134 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

taken an active interest in the welfare of his native village, always lend-
ing a helping hand, either financially or otherwise, in the fnrtlierance of
public enterprises. He has served six years as trnstee of the village of
Haverstraw and two years on the Board of Edncation. llr. Pnrdy has
been a member of the M. E. Chnrch since ISfiT, and at present is a
member of tlie IJoard of Tnistees, Superintendent of the Sunday school
and Secretary of the Epworth League.

CHAELES EBERLIXG wa.s born in Xe^ City May 27, 186S, and
received an education in the public schools of that place. Shortly after
leaving school he took up the trade of shoe making, which he followed
for a number of years, working in a factory owned and operated l)y his
brother Josejih. In 1892 Joseph Eberling died and Charles, with his
two remaining brothers, Henry and George, purchased the factory,
whicli they jointly conducted until lS9f), wlien Charles and George pur-
chased the one-third interest of Henr\-, wlio thereafter devoted his time
to agricultural pursuits. The concern ran along smoothly and prosper-
ously until July ISth, 1901, when George Eberling was struck by liglit-
ning, killing liim instantly, since which time Charles Eberling has car-
ried on the business and is sole owner of the same. April 13th, 1890,
he married ilargarctte Durschang of New City. They have two chil-
dren, May, born January 26th, 1891, and Charles, bom September 9th,
1897. Mr. Eberling is a charter meud)er of the Xew City Fire Depart-
ment, a charter member of tlie Foresters and a charter member of tlie
Spring Valley Bed Men. His father, Henry Eberling, is a native of
Germany, coming to this country in 1849, when he settled in New City.
He took up qiiite a tract of land at that time, and until recent years fol-
lowed farming as an occupation. He has, however, disposed of his land
and now lives a retired life in New City.

JOHN V. TBEACY was born at West Point, N. Y., September
8th, 1873. He received his education in the ]iul)]ic school at AVest
Point, High School of Highland Falls, N. Y., and tlie New Paltz State
Normal School. Mr. Treacy then engaged in teaching. He has been
connected with the Highland Falls High School for the past six years, of
which he is assistant j)rincipal. Tn 1901 he married ^liss !Mabel Chat-
field, of Cornwall, N. Y. He has held tlie ofllce of Town Clerk of the
Town of Highland for five vears and has been for some time Treasurer

BIOGRAPHICAL. 135

of the Highland Falls Fire Department. Mr. Treacy is also a Grand
Knight of the Highland Falls ( 'onncil, Knights of ColumLns.

WILLIAM H. SPRINGSTEEN, of Pearl Eiver, was born in the
Town of Ramapo, near the village of Monscy, March 29, 1847. Hi3
edncation was acquired in the scliools of the neighborhood. At an early
age he began learning the carpenter's trade, and for a nnmber of years
was employed by different builders in New York, Jersey City, Paterson
and other Eastern cities until ISSl, when he accepted a position as fore-
man for a contractor and builder's establishment in Dakota. He held
this position about four years; then returned east and for the following
five years was employed in New York. In 1S90 he came to Pearl River
and established his present business, that of contractor and builder. Mr.
Springsteen is a staimch Democrat, the recognized leader of his party in
Pearl River, but with one exception has never accepted office. For some
four years, however, he served as Excise Commissioner for Rockland
county. H« is a member of Viking Lodge, No. Tfil, I. O. O. F. The
great great grandfather of William Springsteen came from Germany as
a Hessian soldier with General Wolf in command, to battle with the
French during the French and English War. At the close of the war
he settled on a tract of land near what is now Verplanck's Point, in
Westchester county, and at the opening of the Revolutionary War his
3'oungest son, .John, enlisted in the cause of liberty and right, serving
his country faithfully vmtil the close of the war, when he purchased
property in Rockland county near the village of Mousey and devoted his
life to milling and agricultural pursuits. His son, Cornelius, lived and
died on a farm nearby and also to some extent followed the trade of ma-
son and builder. Here was born his son, Wesley Springsteen, father of
the subject of this sketch, who, like his father before him, was a mason
and builder as well as a farmer.

WILLIAM S. TAYLOR, M. I)., a descendant of a prominent New
York family, was bom in New York city, February ISth, 185!). His
edncation was begun in private schools of New York. He afterward
attended the Wilcox Military Academy <at Stamford, Conn., going from
there to Wilmington Conference College, at Dover, Del., from which in-
stitution he graduated in 1877, with the expectation of entering West
Point JMilitary Academy, for which he had been prepared, but decided to

136 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

study medicine instead, and the following year he took up the study of
that profession with Prof. James K. Wood, who was at that time the most
skillful surgeon in America. At the same time he continued his studies in
Bellevuo Hospital Medical College, from which he was graduatetl in
1881. He then opened an office and began the practice of medicine in
New York city. He held the position of Assistant Surgeon at Bellevue
Outdoor Department under Prof. Alex. B. Mott; also assistant pliysician
to the Actors' Fund, and was a mcml>er of the New York Medical Socie-
ties. He is at present a member of the Rockland County iledical Asso-
ciation. In 1881 he was united in marriage with Miss Ella J. Lyman,
daughter of Asa Lyman of New York city. They have two children:
Margaret and James R. In 1894 he removed with his family to Spring
Valley, since which time he has been prominent in all affairs of interest
to the county.

RICHARD BREWSTER ifARKS. ]\[ichael Marks, the ancestor
of Richard B. Marks, came originally from England, settled atTarr^'town
and afterwards moved to Peekskill. His family consisted of foiir sons:
Abraham, Moses, Levi and Alfred, and five girls. Abraham and Alfred
moved to the east side of the Hudson about the year 1828. Richard B.
Marks is the son of Alfred Marks and ilary Brewster, his wife, and
was born in 18.30. After leaving school he was engaged in farming
n]) til ls.">7, when he suffered a severe simstroke; since then he has lived
retired from active affairs. He has also been engaged in mercantile
business and the manufacture of brick. He is the possessor of consid-
erable property and its care has pretty thoroughly occupied his atten-
tion since his illness in '57. Mr. ilarks married Catherine ]Marks, a
daughter of Sampson Marks, and has three children living: ('has. A.,
George H. and Annie .1. Charles A. married Joanna Osman. Ceorge
H. married Estelle Lent, aTid Annie J. married Sidney AVhite. Mr.
Marks has served as Superintendent of the Poor of the county for
nine years and as Justice of the Peace for six years. He has been Elder
in the Presliyterian Church for twenty years and is one of tlie most
highly esteemed citizens of the county. His son conducts a general store
at Stony Point.

CtERTRUDE HAMMOND HARPER, M. D., was lioni in Bavaria.
She received her education in Vienna, Austria, and earlv in her remark-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 137

alile career evinced a strong aptitude for political liberty, at that time
so coiiinioii among the more intelligent subjects of Austria. For a long-
time she went dr<'ssed as a boy to give her freedom of action in carrying-
important dispatches to and fro, thereby serving the cause of liberty.
When her life became endangered through having during a ninnber of
years received and cared for editorials for the ultra-liberal paper, "The
Wasp," she decided to come at once to America, the land of the free. Ac-
cordingly, she sailed in 1853 in the "Lady Franklin," upon which vessel
she met her future husband, Gerard Beekman Hammond. Shortly after
landing in this country they were mamed and settled in Kockland
coiinty, where Dr. Hammond became celebrated as a surgeon as well
as a pliysician. Shortly after he had commenced practicing he remarked
one day to his wife: "I wish there was some woman qualified to min-
ister to their own se.x, especially in diseases peculiar to the sex, as it is
very embarrassing- for a male ph^'sician. Mrs. Hammond at once made
a charactci'istic reply, saying: "Why should it not be so? Why should
women not become qualified as well as men? Women have brains as
well as men, and why should they not use them? I will use mine." At
once she commenced to study, notwithstanding- that she understood very
little of the English language. This soon became known and if the doc-
tor was absent wlicn a call came for him, she wa.s requested to fill his
place until he could answer in person, through which means .she gath-
ered bed-side experience, which is more valuable than theory gained
from books. She had already attended over four liundred obstetrical
cases withoTit an accident when she joined her husband, who had become
a volunteer surgeon of the Federal army in 1862, in order to assist him
in his duties and give succor to the sick and suffering soldiei-s. This
lasted for two j^ears. When they returned from tlic seat of war, both
broken in health, she became a student at "The New York Medical Col-
lege and Hospital for Women," whicli had just been inaugurated, and
in 18fi6 graduated therefrom, lint being the only graduate she was re-
quested to join the class of '(i7, when a public demonstration wrmld take
place at Steinway Hall. Through l>eing- recognized and cordially received
by some army surgeons who were present at the classics, she was the means
of establishing an amicable footing at the Clinics for the women students,
whom the men students seemed detennined to keep from attending the
Clinics. When an edifice for an Episcopal Church was much needed at
Spring Valley in 1871, Dr. Harper decided to procure funds for lum-

138 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Iter l),v lictting up a concert, and she accomplished what had never been
done in this eonnty before or since. After secnrinsi' the nse of
th<' Reformed C'hnrcli of Spring Valley, she sold all the middle pews
for $10 each, all chairs in the isle, $2 each; all the other seats and stand-
ing room, $1 each. She secured an extra free train to take the people
to their homes as far as Englewood. The audience wa-s so enthusiastic
that a repetition was requested, but it could not be done, as the artists
could not be held. After the death of Dr. Hammond she went to New
York city for several years, where she became a member of the "Literary
Society of St. Marks," where her lectures and essays were highly appre-
ciated, and the president of the society, Eev. Dr. J. H. Rylance, said
that Dr. Harper was always interesting her audiences with her intellec-
tual brightness, hmnor and strong good sense, and that she always drew
highly intelligent audiences. In consequence of an article of which
she was the author, in the "New York Medical Examiner," entitled
"Women's Diseases from an Insurance Point of View," in 1892, the
rates were lowered on all future policies on women's lives. Dr. Harper
wrote ninnerous articles for leading medical journals, which were always
widely copied. Dr. Ilarjier may be justly proud of her record as an
Obstetrician, as during her long career of activity and the nmnljer of
cases swelling nigh on three thousand, she has \ip to the date of writing
never met with the loss of a single case. Dr. Har{ier is the pioneer
woman physician of Rockland county and has met with well earned suc-
cess and ]io])idnrity.

REV. C. G. O'KEEEFE was born in New York city May 2, 1853.
He attended the city public schools and later St. John's College, and
then continued his theological studies in the Pontificial Roman Sem-
inary at Rome, Italy, from which he was ordained priest April lOth,
1880. Father O'Kceife then received the appointment of assistant to
Rev. Dr. ]\IcGlynn at St. Stephen's, New York. He also served as curate
of St. Joseph's and St. Oabriel's of New York. In 18Sfi he was sent
to establish missions in the Bahama Islands, from which he returned
three years later to his curacy at St. Gabriel's. During his residence in
the Bahamas Father O'KeefFe erected a church, rectory, convent for
Sisters of Charity and a school for negro children. In 1891 Father
O'Keeffe was ajipointed rector of Highland Falls and West Point. In
1899 he succeeded in obtaining permission from Congress to erect a

BIOGRAPHICAL. 139

Catholic church on the military reservation at West Point. This beau-
tiful stone church situated at the intersecti(Ui of Fort Putnam and Cem-
etery roads, was erected free of debt by contributions largely by Father
O'Keeile and his co-religionists, and was consecrated June 10th, 1000.
The church is Gothic in design and the interior is most richly fui'nished
with marble altars, chancel railing and holy water fonts. The windows
are of Tiffany glass, while the caqieting, i>ews, etc., are quite in keeping
in richness and beauty. Father O'KeeflFe is doing a grand work for his
church. He is well known as an excellent administrator, a profound the-
ologian and in general knowledge his attainments are wide and varied.

PATRICK J. LYNCH was born in Haverstraw. His primary edu-
catiiin was received in the public schools. He afterwards attended the
Manhattan College and later took a course in the Poughkeepsie Business
University. In 1890 he went to Virginia, where he engaged in the
nuinufacture of bricks. Three years from that time he sold out and re-
turned to Haverstraw. Upon returning to Haverstraw he, together with
his brother, established a brick business, which they are now conducting.
In 1899 he started a sand business in Roseton, which he managed in
connection with his other business operations, and for a time Sheriff F.
J. Weiant was interested with him in this enterprise, but later sold out
his interest to ilr. Lynch. ]\Ir. Lynch has always taken a deep and active
interest in political matters. He is at present serving the county as
Tender Sheriff, having been appointed to that ofHce by Sheriff Weiant
January 1st, 1901. In 189.5 he was united in marriage to Mis.s Alice
AVarliurtiin of Haverstraw. They have had four children: Louis, Gen-
evieve and Alice; one child, a boy, died in infancy. His father,
Patrick Lynch, has been identified with Haverstraw's leading industry
for years, as a brick manufacturer, coming here from the county of
Cavan, Ireland, in 1S49.

JOIIiSr M. GIBES, Principal of the Spring Valley schools, was born
at Livonia, X. Y., August 31st, 1864. His preliminary educatiini was
ac(|uired in the public schools of that place, after which he entered the
State Xormal School at Geneseo, N. Y., graduating in 1887. He then
accejited the ])osition of Principal of the public schools of Webster, N.
Y., and the following year was tendered and accepted a similar position in
the schools of East Bloomfield, N. Y., where he remained two years. He

140 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

then entered tlie University of Rochester, wliere lie studied two and one-
lialf years, and later hecaine a student of the Xew York Univei-sity, from
which he graduated. In February', 1893, he came to Spring Valley as
Principal of the schools, which responsible position he still holds. Pro-
fessor Gibbs is thoroughly qualified for the position. Ilis is an office
requiring energy, tact and force of character, as well as a high degree of
education, and during the nine years in which he has served as Principal
of the Spring Valley schools he has thoroughly demonstrated his fitness
for the position. In 1887 he was united in marriage with Gertnule M.
Men'ell, of Gcneseo, N. Y. They have two children, John Coe and Jay
Merrell. Both ilr. and ilrs. Gibbs are members of the Spring Valley
Dutch Reformed Church and Mr. Gibbs was for some time the super-
intendent of its Sunday school. Manson F. Gibljs, the father of our
subject, is a retired farmer, living at Livonia, X. Y., where he was lx>rn
in 1826. His \vife, Julia Coe Gibbs, died in 1870. Their family con-
sisted of three children: G. Arnold Gibbs, who lives at Livonia, N. Y.;
Julian C. Gibbs, living at Dalton, Mass., and John M.

ESLER SHERWOOD is a native of Rockland county, having been
born at Mousey, N. Y., March 5th, 1857. His education was ac([uired
in the public schools of Monsey and in private schools of Piernu)nt and
Suifern. At the age of nineteen he entered his father's general store,
where he remained as an assistant until 1804, when he became a partner
in the business, which was thereafter conductetl under the firm name of
Esler Sherwood & Co., until August, 1901, when Mr. Sherwood became
the sole projn-ietor. Mr. Sherwood has served three terms as Clerk for
the Town of Ramapo. On his last election to that oifice he had the dis-
tinction of being the only candidate elected on the Democratic ticket.
He is a member of Suffern Lodge, Xo. 589, F. and A. M., and Spring
Valley Lodge, I. 0. O. F. December 29, 1880, Mr. Sherwood was
united in marriage with Cornelia E., daughter of Henry T. Tallman,
of Tallmans, a descendant of the family of Tallmans that settled the
districts west of !Monsey, where Tallman Village now stands. They have
seven children: Bertha, Russel, Lester, Velma, Mildred, Dihvorth and
Arietta. Mr. Sherwood's father, I^evi Shenvood, was born in R(xd<land
county in May, 1818. Until 1857 he devoted his time to agricultural
pursuits and then piirchased the grocery .store in ir(msey, which he suc-
cessfully conducted until his retirement from active life, and which his

BIOGRAPHICAL. 141

son Esler now coiuluets. On January 1st, 1840, Levi Slu'i-ft-oiid married
Maria Yeiiry and they have eight children, five of whom art^ living,
viz.: Henry Edgar, Sarali Elizabeth, wife of Ghide Requa, of Monsey;
John Y., Esk-r and Matilda, wife of Henry C. Hilworth.

ELBEKT TALMAX. In the year IGSO Douwe Talman emigrated
from Holland to America. After remaining in New York city for a
time, he purchased from the Government a strip of land one-half mill'
wide, extending from the Hudson river to Tappan. He was one of the
original settlei-s of Kockland county. He erected a dwelling on his land
in the vicinity of where the village of Tappan is now hx-ated, and there
reared a family of hardy pioneers, some of whom figured in the wars of
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Douwe's son, Ilarnianus, suc-
ceeded to the estate. One of the sons of Harmanus was the first Sheriff
of Rockland county. Another son, Dowali (orDouwe) Hannanus, born
in 1755, took an active part in the struggle for independence. His son,
Peter D., was bom at Tappan, niamed Catherine Isenian and inherited
land purchased by his father, situated about one-mile south of Spring
Valley. Here, in addition to the management of his farm, he conducted
a general store that was known for miles around. He also took part in
the war of 1812. In 1827 the first post office was established in the
neighborhood and was called "Scotland." Peter D. Talman was
appointed Postmaster. This office was discontinued in 1846, at which
time the Spring Valley postoffice was established. Alfred Talman, sou
of Peter D., was born May 24, 1815, on the homestead farm, where he
has lived all his life. January 10th, 1855, he man-ied Sarah J. Oslxirn,
of Fairfield county, Conn. They have had four children: Emily, x\l-
fretta, \\'ife of Andrew T. Johnson of Spring Valley; Elbert and Annie,
wife of Richard W. Osborn of Ridgefield, Conn. Elbert Tahnan, son
of Alfred, was born November 8th, 1861, on the homestead fann. He
attended the district school in the vicinity of his home and the Spring
Valley Academy. Upon completing his education he devoted his time
to assisting his father in the care and management of the farm and bus-
iness affairs. In 188!) Elbert Talman married Eleanor C. Smith, daugh-
ter of T. Blanch Smith, M. I)., of Nyack. They have two children:
Lyman Alfred and Howard Parker. Mr. Talman has been a member for
twelve years of the Board of Education. He was one of the incorporator's
of the Fii-st National Bank of Spring Valley, and has been a director in

142 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

this bank since its orgaiiizatiou. He has for a nunil)er of years served as
Seci-etary of the llockhuid County Agricultural Society. Alfred Tal-
man, the father of our subject, resides with him, as does also his sis-
ter Emily.

WILLIAM F. BAKEETT was born at Portland, Maine, August
10th, 1837. His education was acquired in the public schools of that
place and Boston. At the age of thirteen he took a position as fireman
on the Champlain and St. Lawrence R. R., I'unning between Rouse's
Point and Montreal. After serving four years as fireman he was given
an engine and served the company as engineer about eighteen months,
when he resigned and began learning the machinist's trade with the S.
P. liuggles Power Press Company. About a year following he was
machinist for the Ilinkley Locomotive Works. The following year he
served as assistant engineer on the steamer Daniel Webster, plying
between Portland and Bangor, when, his health failing, he returned to
Boston and shortly thereafter was connected with the U. C. Hall Musi-
cal Instrument Co., in their mechanical department. He was also a
member of the Hall's Boston Brass Band. He remained with this com-
pany until 18(31, when at the breaking out of the war he became embued
with the popular spirit of patriotism and enlisted, thinking to join the
I'ank and file and shoulder a musket. He was, however, at this time
the snare drummer for the Second Battalion of Massachusetts Infantry,
and instead of being sent to the front as he had hoped, was appointed
instructor of all snare drummers entering the service of each regiment in
the State and was stationed at Fort Warren, Camp Scott, Wooster and
Readville, Mass, with the 42d Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers. He
was aftemvard transferred to the loth Regiment and with them went to
the front and participated in some notable engagements, among which
was the Battle of Ball's Bluff. He was then returned to his old regiment,
the 43d, and proceeded to the scene of hostilities. They were active
participants in the Battles of Kingston, Whitehall, Newbiirn and Golds-
boro. From the latter place the regiment made a forced march of 180
miles in ten days and succeeded in cutting off General Lee's supplies
on their way to Richmond. While on picket duty a call for volunteers
wa.s made to run the blockade and carry supplies down the river to
General Foster at Little Washington, North Carolina. Mr. Barrett with
twelve others comprised this volunteer detachment. They made the

BIOGRAPHICAL. 143

run from Ball's Bluff in the night, succeeded in eluding the enemy,
left supplies for the army stationed there and returned the same night
accompanied by General Foster, with the loss of but one man. This
maneuver was practically the breaking up of Stonewall Jackson's not-
able seige of the forces of General Foster at Little Washington. The
time of his enlistment having expired, he re^enlisted, this time with the
First Heavy Artillery as head musician and gunner, stationed at Fort
Constitution, where he was mustered out. In the fall of l.SC;j he took
a i>osition as machinist in a sugar refining machine manufactory at South
Boston. He occupied that position a few months when he went to the
West Indies as engineer in a sugar refining establishment. After a
stay of a few months in the islands he contracted yellow fever and was
obliged to return to the States. For thirteen years he was then with
Gov. P. C. Cheney in Xew Hampshire erecting mills and running them.
He then took the position of foreman for the S. C. Forsyth Machine Co.
at ilanchester, IN". II., in 1884, and in 1893 resigned that position to
acccjjt the one he now holds, that of foreman of the machine department
of the Empire Engine and Motor Co. of Orangeburgh, N. Y. Mr. Bar-
rett was married in 1857 to Miss Julia E. Holmes. They have one son,
W. H. Barrett, born in 18G0, who was with his father in the electric
works until 1901, when he accepted a position with his brother-in-law,
in Portland, Me. Mr. Barrett is identified with the Masons, Odd Fel-
lows, K. of P., and G. A. E., in all of wliich he has filled important
offices and positions. He also was for two terms Supreme Chief of the
American Order of Steam Engineers, while a resident of Manchester.

URIAH F. WASHBURjST. For many years a name prominent in
the Hudson river brick industry was that of Uriah Fields Washburn.
Born at Port Chester, N. Y., January 23, 182'J, the son of Benjamin
Kipp Washburn, he was descended, on his father's side, from the Kipps,
and on his mother's side, she being a Vail, from a long Quaker ancestry.
The family came to Haverstraw when Uriah was a youth, and at a period
when the village was experiencing a strong industrial impetus. As brick-
making had just entered upon a new era and offered exceptional oppor-
tunities, lie decided to learn that business in preference to any other, hav-
ing an ambition to become a large manufacturer. Forceful and capable,
he acquired a complete and expert knowledge of the trade, and the year
1855 found him engaged in business for himself, while yet but a vciy

144 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

young man. IIi.s first brickyard was on tlio Congei' ])roix>rty, Grassy
Point, N. Y. Mr. Waslibnrn's business career was one of uninterrnptt'd
success through life. He accumulated large interests, especially in the
brick industry, both in this county and at East Kingston, X. Y. Mr.
Wasliburn was also one of the organizers and the first President of the
People's Bank of Haverstraw, continuing as the head of the institution
until his death. A man of fine business judgment and honor, he won the
confidence and esteem of the community in an unusual degree. In re-
ligious aifairs Mr. Washburn's connection was Avith the Methodist Epis-
'copal Church of Stony Point, of which he was long a trustee. Mr. Wash-
burn was united in man-iage to Sarah E. Fowler of Haverstraw, a sister
of Denton Fowler, Sr., and at his death he left siu'viving, besides his
wife, two sons and two daughters: Mordecai F., Lucien II., Elizabeth
and Louise G. The residence and fanu on the Stony Point road have
been in the family for thirty-five years.

JAMES K. COMESKY, Sutfern, proprietor of the Hotel Pockland,
was born in Putnam county, N. Y., August 6th, 1864. He attended the
public schools and later entered Pocklaiul (/'ollege and finished his pre-
liminary education in this institution. Mr. Comesky then began the
study of law in the oflJice of Hon. Howard G. Fuller and was admitted to
the bar in 1894. He practiced his profession for a time in the AVest, but
soon relinquished it to engage in business aifairs. He has been a resident
of Rockland county since 1876, was Assessor of Orangetown for three
years and has been proprietor of the Hotel Kockland at Suffeni since
1898. Mr. Comesky is an extensive o\vner and dealer in real estate; he
owns a quantity of valuable lots in Suffern and elsewhere and is an active,
wide-awake and piishing business man. He is man-ied and has one child.

HENRY SCHOENFIELD is a native of New York city. He re-
ceived a public schf>ol education and later graduated from the New York
College. When fifteen and one-half yeare of age he went on the road as a
drummer. After four years traveling in the east, he went to Te.xas.
Shortly after his marriage to Miss Bessie Stern of Newburg, N. Y., he
located in Jacksonville, Illinois, and started a poultry business, which he
built up to be the largest of the kind in this coimtry. He manufactured
his own ice and supplied Jacksonville, also, with this commodity. He was
Aldennan for two terms, and was Mayor of the town from 1892 to 1895.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 145

He was a delegate to tlie state convention that nominated Governor
Yates, who was a neighbor and warm friend of Henry Scliocnfield in
Jacksonville; in fact, Mr. Schoenfield was mainly instrumental in secur-
ing the nomination of the Governor. Henrj' Schoenfield established the
Twentieth Gcntury Broome Co., of which he is manager, in Congers, IST.
Y., in 1890, and the trade of this company already reaches into Europe,
having a New York and London office. Mr. Schoenfield is a member of
the IJoyal Arcanum, etc. His family consists of wife and three children:
Beatrice, Milton Harold and Roslyn.

CHAELES SMITH, JR., was born in New York city October 18th,
1859. His father, Chas. Smith, Sr., a native of Germany, came to New
York in 1850 and was engaged in the r(>tail meat business there for
thirty-two years. In 1882 he moved to Tappan and cstal)lished his pres-
ent grocery and meat business. Mr. Smith, Jr., our subject, was edu-
cated in the schools of New York city and at the age of 18 years entered
his father's business, with whom he remained for fifteen years. He then
received an appointment under Herbert O. Thompson in the Public
Works Department in New York city, which he filled with credit to him-
self and satisfaction to the head of the department for seven years. At
the expiration of this time he engaged in the horse business, which he
still follows. He was married November 12, 1891, to Eniestcn Wus-
trow, daughter of John Wustrow, of New York city. Their family
consisted of five children, the eldest of which died at the age of ten
weeks, namely: Emma, born July 15, 1893, died Sept. 20, 1893; Elsie,
born 1895; Gracie, born 1897; Charles, bom 1898; Baby girl bom
1901. Mr. Smith is a member of the F. and A. M. of Piennont, Royal
Arcanum, Workman and Select Knights of Brooklyn, and he is an ener-
getic and live business man of New York city, who makes his residence
in Tappan, where he has one of the many fine residences which this
county is noted for.

THE WHITE FAMILY. 1. William White, married in Leyden,
Holland, July 1, 1612, by Rev. John Robinson, Anna Fuller, and had
resolved; born in Leyden in 1614; set sail for America September 6,

1620, mtli wife, said to be Susanna. He died in Plymouth March 14,

1621, and his widow, Susanna, married. May 12, 1621, Edward Wins-

146 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

low, Jr. Mrs. Winslow died October, IGSO. 2. Peregrine White, born
in Cape Cod Harbor, N^ovember, 1620, was brought up by his mother,
Mrs. Winslow, of Green Harbor, Mass.; married, about 1647, Sarah,
daughter of William and Elizabeth Bassett (passengers in the Fortune
iSTov. 10, 1621). He settled on an estate given him by his father-in-law,
lying btween North and South rivers, not far from the ocean. Pere-
grine White later lived in Marshfield, where he died July 20, 1704. His
wife, Sarah, died January 20, 1711. He is said to have had six chil-
dren. 3. Daniel AVhite, the oldest child of Peregrine, was bom in
Marshfield in 1649; man-ied, Aug. 19, 1674, Hannah Hunt, of Dux-
bury. He died May 6, 1724, aged seventy-five. 4. John White, oldest
son of Daniel, was bom April 26, 1675; married, Feb. 18, 1700,
Susanna, daughter of Samuel Shennan (lived at Marshfield or Dux-
bury). He died Sept. 7, 1753, aged seventy-eight. Susanna died Sept.
22, 17G6. 5. John White, Jr., born Aug. 17, 1704; raamed, Jan. 10,
1724, Joanna Sprague; have not the date of his death or his wife's. 6.
Dr. John White, oldest son of John, Jr., was bom in 1731; married
Polly Wadsworth, said to be a relative of the poet, Henry W. Longfel-
low. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary army and a resident of
Blandford, Mass. He died in 1791. Children, seven: Vasal White,
bom in 1761 ; married ]\Iay Kingsley. 2. John White, served in the
rjevolutionaiw army from Massachusetts, and settled in central T^ew
York State. 3. SaniTiel White, settled in Chenango county, N. Y. 4.
Ebenezer White, was a Methodist minister in New York. 5. Sally
White, man-ied — Lloyd. 6. Mary or Polly White, married — Blair. 8.
John White was born Nov. 26, 1794; married to Margaret Tremper,
born Sept. 15, 1791. Children of John and ]\Largarct White: Ann
White, bom Sept. 21, 1812; George White, born Feb. 16, 1814; Tunis
DePew White, bom June 4, 1816; William Eugene White, bom March
21, 1822; John Edward White, bom July 9, 1824. William Eugene
White, married Margaret Polhemus. Their children are: Elizabeth S.,
man-ied C. H. Welford; ]\Ielissa, dead; and William H. William H.
was bom in Nyack, married Cornelia D. Fulton in 1878. They are the
parents of four children: Edward F., Edith, Margaret M., Florence E.
W. H. White is an extensive dealer in coal and lumber, as also was his
father.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 147

HILL FAMILY. James Hill, a native of county Antrim, Ireland,
came to this country when a boy of twelve years of age. He settled in
New York city at what is now the Bronx, married Elizabeth Emery from
Westchester county and raised a family of seven children, as follows:
Charlotte, married to Stephen Wicks; Sally, married Ephraim Smith;
William, manned Clarissa Babcock; Emery, married Kate Lawrence;
James, married Sarah Lawrence; Catherine, married George Gale;
Eloanora, married George Ghee. William Hill, son of James, married
Clarissa Babcock and had a family of eight children, as follows: Wil-
liam H., married Sarah Kogers; James M., married Nancy Rayner;
Henry C. ; Elizabeth, married James Ghee; Thomas, died young;
Thomas C, married Margaret A. Ryer; Laura, married William Hut-
ton; Martha, married James Marble. William Hill enlisted in 1854
aboard the U. S. Frigate Congress and went on a voyage to the Medi-
terranean Sea of three years and seven months. Then he served one
year on the U. S. Steamer Stetten, as master-at-arms, at the Charleston
blockade. His son, Henry C. Hill, was on the steamer Rhode Island
and sailed through the West Indies as assistant engineer. James M.,
another son of William Hill, sensed on the steamer \vith his father at
the Charleston blockade, as log keeper. Thomas C, son of William Hill,
succeeded his father in the Gamerv'ille Hotel March 25, 1874, upon the
death of the latter. William Hill had conducted this hotel for ten years
prior to his death, Thomas C. was born January 11, 1853.

BABCOCK FAMILY. Thomas Babcock, a native of Haverstraw,
served in the Revolutionary army and is said to have been the soldier
who led Mad Anthony Wayne into battle at Stony Point. He was the
father of John Babcock, who married Rachel Halstead, daughter of
Jacob Halstead of Rocky Forest, N. Y.. They came to West Haverstraw
from Rocky Forest (now Newburg) and had a family of seven children,
as follows: Betsey, who married James LeRoy; Polly, married John
Stout ; Hannah, married Isaac Babcock ; Charlotte, married Samuel Van
Pelt, a ship carpenter of New York; Nancy, married Samiiel Wood;
Sally, married James Waldron; Clarissa, man-ied William Hill. Job,
the only son, married in Haverstraw and raised a large family. Hiram,
one of Job's sons, sen-ed as Superintendent of the Poor for several terms.
John Babcock serv'cd in the War of 1812 and was honorably discharged.

THOMAS C. HILL is a native of West Haverstraw, Rockland
county, N. Y. ; was bom January 11, 1853. Received his education in

148 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

the public schools of that place and since leaving school has been in the
hotel business in West Haverstraw, succeeding his father to the o^vn-
ership of the Gamerville Hotel. Mr. Hill has been actively interested
in local affairs, has served upon town committees, as trustee and collector
of schools, on the Executive committee of the Republican Club, District
Committee for town of Haverstraw, and was a member of the Finance
committee for West Haverstraw district for the dedication of Stony
Point State park. Mr. Hill is a whole-souled, \vide-awake and popular
citizen, with an acquaintance extending from New York to San
Francisco.

TRUXTON W. SPRINGSTEEN was born in Rockland county,
two miles northeast of his present residence, at Tallmans, May 30, 1855.
His education was obtained first in the public schools of the town of
Ramapo. When twelve years of age, his parents removed to Brook-
lyn, N. Y., where he finished his education, attending both public and
private schools of that city. After leaving school he was engaged on
the constnietion of the Brooklyn elevated railway, as foreman over a
gang of men, with teams, hauling foundation stone, crushed stone and
cement. The year following he took a position under the government,
having in charge the removal of siTpplies to and from the Quartermas-
ter's and Medical Departments of the Government buildings in New
York. During the year that he occupied this position he superintended
the transportation of sitpplies on board the vessels constituting the fleet
of the Greely expedition to the Arctic regions. In 1883 he was united
in maiTiage with Adaline L. DeBaun, daughter of John A. DeBaun, of
Tallmans. They have one child, Mabel C. Mr. Springsteen is Collector
for the town of Ramapo, which ofiice he has held continuously the past
ten years. He is a member of Onward Lodge, I. 0. O. F., and Ramapo
Lodge, F. and A. M., both Suffern lodges. James "Coby" Springsteen
(a soldier in the War of 1812), great grandfather of our subject, settled
near Tallmans at a period supjiosed t-o be about the latter part of the
eighteenth centui'v, His son, William, married Margaret Johnson, daugh-
ter of Robert Johnson, of Tallmans. He became prominent in the local
politics of Rockland county (or Orange county, as it was then), and it is
recorded that he held the ofiice of Poormaster and was also assessor. He
was a member of the old school Baptist Church. The children of Wil-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 149

Ham and Margaret Springsteen were five in number, viz.: William D.,
died unmarried; Daniel D. ; Sarah Elizabeth, married Wesley Waldrou;
Robert, married Rachel Brundage, of Tallmans; Elmira, mamed Wil-
liam Rehling, of Suffem. Daniel D. married Mary Jane Brundage, of
Tallmans. lie followed his trade of carpenter for a number of yeare
in Rockland county, having in charge the building and rebuilding,
among a number of othere of the following: The Old School Baptist
Church, northeast of Tallmans, in the spring of 185-i; the Lutheran
C'iiurch, southwest of Tallmans, in the spi'ing of 1855; the Methodist
Church at Viola, in the summer of 1856; the Brick Church at Hemp-
stead, in the summer of 1857. He ha.s been an inspector for the U. S.
Government for the past twenty-three years. The children of Daniel D.
and Mary Jane Springsteen were Lewis D., Tr^ixton W. and Lucy M.,
married C. Fred Gedney, of Brooklyn, X. Y. . It may be stated that
Thomas Springsteen, a son of James, conducted a machine shop for the
manufacture of screws, etc., at Suffem, having as a partner George W.
Suffern, and while engaged in this business he invented the machine for
the manufacture of the gimlet-pointed screw now in use. It is said he
sold his interest in the patent for $2,000.

J. IRVING TRAPIIAGEX was born at Suffern, Rockland county,
X. Y., July 6, 1866. His education was obtained in the public schools
of that place and Xew York city. For a time after leaving school he
was engaged in the mercantile business in Suffern, and in 1896 he se-
cured an interest in the Tengwald File and Ledger Company of New
York. lie holds the oiHce of Secretary and General Manager of this
concern. He held the otlice of Postmaster for the Village of Suffern
five years under Wanamaker's administration and in April, 1899, was
again appointed to that oflice, which he is now holding. Mr. Traphagen
is a Mason, a Mystic Shriner and a Knight Templar, is a successful young
business man, popular in his community, and has always conducted the
business of the Government to the entire satisfaction of the citizens of
Suffern. He ha.s .served one term as Supervisor of the town of Ramapo.

GEX. IRA MUXX HEDGES, late President of the X^'ational Bank
of Haverstraw, Director of the Xorth River and Xew York Steamboat
Company, President of the Crystal Salt Company, President of the Dia-
mond Brick Company, and dealer in lumber and coal at Haverstraw,

ISO HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

was bom in what is now the town of Stony Point, at Grassy Point, Eock-
land county, Jtily 31, 1839, being the son of Phineas and Eliza
(Edwards) Hedges. He traces his lineage to William Hedges, the
founder of the family in America, who settled in Southampton, L. I.,
as early as 1647. Two years afterward he and twelve others founded
the to^vn of East Hampton, on the east end of the island, and his orig-
inal lot is now owned by his descendants of the sixth generation. Imme-
diately prior to the Revolution, members of the family moved to Orange
county, and a son of one of these, Peter Hedges, married Naomi Terrj',
whose ancestors were pioneers of Southold, L. I. Their children were
named as follows: Phineas, our subject's father; John, who served in
the War of 1812, and whose descendants are living in Dutchess county;
Elizabeth, wife of Genitt Smith; Margaret, Mrs. Henry Massey; Elsie,
who man-ied Jacob Gedney; Richard, whose children are in Dutchess
county; and Henry, who died in Virginia. Phineas, who was born near
Newburgh, February 25, 1805, worked in a brickyard in boyhood and
later purchased a half-interest in one. In April, 1837, he removed
from Newburgh to Grassy Point, where he engaged in the manufacture
of brick. In 1842 he purchased from John Thiell a portion of the
Cheesecock Patent, and there he spent the remainder of his life. He
wa.s an ardent temperance man, a Republican in politics and a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Haverstraw. In character he was
honorable, in dispo.sition amiable, and in energy tireless. He married
Eliza Edwards and they had eight children, namely: Anna M., Susan,
Ira M., Melissa J., George B., Aaron P., Charles A. and Emma F.
George B., who was an importer of paints, dyes, oils and drugs, in Xew
York city, died about 1887. The only survivors are Aaron P. and
Charles A., brick manufacturers at Cornwall, Orange county. After
five years of age the subject of this notice lived on a farm and his educa-
tion was obtained in the common schools and at Haverstraw Mountain
Institute under Lewis B. Hardcastle. On concluding his studies he
entered a law office under Judge Edward Pye, then County Judge, and
was almost ready for admission to the Bar when the outbreak of the war
caused a change in his plans. In August, 18G1 he enlisted in a com-
pany raised by Captain Pye, who later became Colonel of the Ninety-
fifth New York Infantry and was killed at Cold Harbor. He became a
member of Company F., wliioh joined the regiment in New York city,

BIOGRAPHICAL. ISl

and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. Among the battles in
which the regiment participated were those of Gainesville, the second
engagement at Bull Run, and South Mountain, Autietam, Fredericks-
burg, Chancellorsvillc, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North
Ann, Tolopotomy, Bethesda Church, Petersburg, Welden Railroad,
Chapel House and Hatchie's Run. October 1, 1861, Company F was
raised at Haverstraw, with Edward Pye Captain, James Crenney, First
Lieutenant, and S. G. Mackey, Second Liexitenant, and was mustered
into the Ninety-fifth, at New York, October 15. It captured Aqua
Creek under ]\IcDowell and Wadsworth, and then became a part of
the army under General Abner Doubleday, the hero of Fort Sumter.
After supporting Banks in Virginia, it was assigned to Pope's army,
took part in the retreat to Washington and in the reorganization under
MacClellan. After the campaign at Antietam, it took part at Chan-
cellorsville, and on Lee's invasion into Pennsylvania was the advance
of the Federal anny under General Reynolds. July 1, 1863, it occu-
pied the most advanced position on McPherson Ridge at Gettysburg and
was the first regiment under fire in that famous battle. This regiment,
in company with the Fourteenth New York and Sixth Wisconsin, cap-
tured a whole Mississippi brigade, who had taken Hall's battery. En-
listing as a private, our subject refused the commissions of Lieutenant
and Quartermaster, also that of Major of a colored regiment. Later he
sen-ed as Quartermaster-Sergeant in his o\vn regiment, the ranking offi-
cer of the non-commissioned staff. Though much of the time on detail
duty, he took part in the principal battles. At the Battle of Antietam
he acted as Ordnance Sergeant. While serving as Quartermaster-Ser-
geant he practically had charge of the detail of that department in the
regiment. While m the hospital sick with typhoid fever, he was cap-
tured by Gen. Job Stuart near Chambersburg and was paroled. As clerk
in the convalescent's ward, he made out the parole papers for the inmates,
all of whom were soon afterward exchanged. In 1880 he assisted in the
organization of Edward Pye Post, Xo. 179, of which he was Commander
for many years. In 1884 he was elected State Commander of the depart-
ment, State of New York. In 1888-'89 he was Inspector-General of
the LTnited States, under Commander-in-Chief John D. Rea, of Minne-
apolis, Minn. In all pension legislation and matters pertaining to the
welfare of soldiers he took an active part. .Vftor the war IVfr. Hedges

152 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

joined two parties intending to go to Pilot Knob, Mo., to engage in the
iron business, but at the entreaty of his mother, he decided to remain
in the East. In 186G he opened the lumber and coal business which he
continued up to the time of his death. In 1S70 he began to manufacture
brick, of which he has turned out as higli as sixty million per annum.
In 1871, with others, he started a State bank, of which two years later
he became President. In 1874 it was made a National bank and he con-
timied as its President. In 1872 he organized the Diamond Brick Com-
pany (which for twenty years employed more than six hundred men and
transported fifty millions of brick per year), of which company he %ras
President. At the same time he organized the Haverstraw Barge Com-
pany. Meantime he organized the Excelsior Brick Company, which is
now a large corporation, with a capital of $100,000, and furnishes
employment to about one hundred men. About 1882 Mr. Hedges pur-
chased an old passenger and freight line and organized the North River
and New York Steamboat Company, with headquarters at Nyack, though
the stock is held mainly in Haverstraw. This line runs from Peekskill
to New York and intermediate points. With other parties, in 1881, he
- secured property on the Erie Railroad in Wyoming county, N. Y.,
intending to prospect for oil, but finally struck a salt bed. The Crystal
Salt Company was organized and he became its Treasurer, the head-
quarters being at Haverstraw. He was President of the Ci-ystal Salt
Company, the works being situated at Salt Yale, near Warsaw, Wyoming
coimty, where they have three separate plants, with a capacity of one
thousand l)arrels daily. In addition he had large real estate interests at
Haverstraw. January 4, 18G6, Mr. Hedges mamed Miss .Teanettc S.,
daughter of Levi and Margaret Knapp, of Haverstraw, where she was
born September 19, 184.3. They have three children lix-ing: Margaret,
wife of M. F. Washburn ; and Irene and Lila, at home. May, Nettie M.,
Ida P. and George S. are deceased. Mr. Hedges was a Chajiter Mason.
He traveled considerably and usually spent his ^vinters in Florida.
Since 1856 he voted for every Republican Presidential candidate,
and ho has been a delegate to the majority of the county conventions
and attended nearly all the State conventions. Twice he was a candi-
date for State Treasurer. He was a delegate to the Republican conven-
tion at Chicago which nominated General Harrison for the Presidency.
In Grand Army matters he was also very active. In 1895 Mr. Hedges
was appointed by Governor Morton one of the Commissioners for the

BIOGRAPHICAL. 153

complotion of the new Capitol at Albany. Ho was a member of the Con-
stitutional Convention of 18S0, and was chairaian of the military com-
mittee and rearranged the military organization, besides holding other
responsible positions. He was a member of the Scenic and Historic Pres-
ervation Society, which has for its object the preservation of natural
scenery and places of historical importance. He was much interested
in the dedication of Stony Point Battlefield as a State park. This chron-
ological list of Gen. Hedges' interests does not include the numberless
activities which claimed his attention among his neighbors in his own
town or county. Beyond the borders of his county the various interests
which sought his consideration expresses his position in the business
world. In all the relationships of a busy man's life, those among whom
he lived and moved absorbed a large portion of his time and thought.
Home affairs, school, village and town, fraternal and church matters
appealed to him, and in all their endeavors to promot-e a healthy growth,
and to expand their influence, he gave a cordial si;pport and substantial
assistance. In politics, though he labored for the success of his pai'ty
with unstinted effort, he did not forget the interests of the citizen, and
worked zealously for the advancement of the public welfare. Passing
liis whole business life in the town of his birth, her interests became his
interests, her people became his associates, and his whole life was spread
lief ore them like an open book whereon they could read his endeavors, his
ambitions and his successes. He brought honor to his native town and
eoimty and will be remembered as one of her citizens, indigenovis to her
soil, whose integTity was unimpeachable, whose patriotism was unsullied,
and one who unflinchingly pcrfonned his duty as he saw it with digniity
and the approval of liis fellow citizens. In his business relationships Gen.
Hedges received the confidence of the commercial commiuiity as the
result of his fidelity to piire business principles, and all interests over
which he wielded control were established and held on solid foundations.
Outside of his native county Gen. Hedges had a large and influential
acquaintance, extending over a large portion of the country. There were
few men of prominence in political or Grand Army circles who were not
his personal acquaintances, and many were intimately so. It wa.s the
same in the business lines in which ho was associated. For some years
previoiis to his death Gen. Hedges seemed to have a lessened vigor. N'ev-
ertheless, he pursued the even tenor of his way, yielding only for two or
three months, wliich he spent on the Bennuda Islands, retuniing with a

154 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

renewal of strength for his year's work. The last year had been a pecu-
liarly arduous one. His health failed greatly and again he sought to woo
back his lost strength by going to Florida. Towards spring his health
continued to fail and he returned home, where he died April 9, 1902,
in the 63d year of his age. He is survived by his widow and three
daughters.

JAMES P. MC QUAIDE is a well known business man of the city
of New York. His grandfather, James G. McQuaide, was born in Scot-
land, and came to this country in 1809 and settled in Westmoreland Co.,
Pa. James G. McQuaide, Jr., father of the above, was bom January 3,
1819, in Westmoreland Co., Pa., and was one of the most prominent men
of the State. He served as a Colonel in the Mexican War in 1845,
<nnd later was extensively engaged in the lumber and oil business,
being one of the first to discover oil in Pennsylvania. He organized
and fitted out the 102d Pennsylvania Regiment and sent it to the front in
1861, was made Collector of the Port of Philadelphia in 1862, was
elected Member of Congress in 1872 and at the expiration of the tenn did
not seek re-election, was appointed Master Warden of the Port of Phil-
adelphia from 1874 to 1880. During the last six years of his life he held
the office of Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee of Pa.
He died Jan. 21, 1881, at the age of 62 years, leaving five children, one
daughter and four .sons, viz.: F. Quindaro, James P. (our subject), Earl
G., Sui>erintcndent of Construction for National Conduit and Cable Co.,
of New York: Walter S., who is a petty officer in the American navy; J.
Halsey, electrician of Metropolitan Street Railway Company, of New
York. James P. McQuaide was born June 24, 1861, in Indiana coimty,
Pa., and at the age of six months his father removed to Philadelphia,
where he attended the High School, then went to Fort Edward College,
where he had been only three months when the college was burned. This
was in the fall of 1877. He then graduated from Pierce's Business Col-
lege of Philadelphia. He foUoweel the sea for the following
eight montlis. He was in the railway mail service from 1879 to
1880, then a fee clerk in the Phihxdelphia customs house, then private
secretary to Allen Wood, of Phila.lelpliia, from 1881 to 1887. He
then inaugurated the National Conduit and Cable Company in con-
junction with Ed. S. Perot and was elected Treasurer of tlie company,
which office he is still holding, and to show the success and energy they

BIOGRAPHICAL. ISS

liavc displayed the business has increased from $15,000 in 1SS7 to $12,-
000,000 in I'JOl. Mr. McQnaide was married August Stli, 1879, to
Lucia Relf, of Philadelphia, and they have one daughter, who is mar-
ried to Albert Deersinger, of Nyack. He was again married iu 1890 to
Sarah Sidebottom, of Philadelphia, and they are the parents of three
children: Gabriel, Isabella and James P., Jr. Socially Mr.' McQuaide is
a member of the New York Yacht Club, New York Club, Pennsylvania
Society of Xew York and the Country Club of iSTyack. His siunmer
home, ''Larchdell Fann," just under Hook Mountain, is noted for its cel-
ebrated Bartlett pears, of which he has about six hundred trees.

JAMES A. DAVIDSON was born at Craigville, Orange county, N.
Y., May 10th, 1855. He received his education there and after leav-
ing school clerked for about five years in a store at Ramapo. The
succeeding two years he spent in Illinois, and in 1876 went to Sayre, Pa.,
with the Cayuta Wheel and Foundry Co., as chief clerk, and also acted
to a certain extent in the capacity of travelling salesman. Mr. David-
son continued with this company fifteen years, and then accepted a posi-
tion with G. W. G. Ferris & Co., of Ferris Wheel fame, as inspector
of iron and steel. He occupied that position three years, and visited all
the larger cities in the country.

In 1898 Mr. Davidson came to Hillburn and took the position of
foreman of the foundry department of the Ramapo Iron Works, and
now occupies a similar position with the company's branch, the Ameri-
can Brake Shoe and Foundry Co., at Mahwah, N. J. Mr. Davidson is
a member of Ramapo Lodge, No. 589, F. and A. M., and while residing
at Sayre he served two terms on the Board of Education. In 1881 he
was united in marriage with Leora Bensley, of Nicholas, N. Y. They
have eight children: Margaret D., Grace, Mildred, Harold, Cora,
James, Leora and Maxwell. Mr. Davidson is a highly respected cit-
izen of Suffem. His position as foreman over a lai-ge number of men is
offtimes a trying one and at all times an exacting one, requiring judg-
ment, force of character and executive ability of a high ordei-, and the
popularity in which he is held by the men under his control bears tes-
timony to his entire fitness for the responsible position he holds.

VAN WYCK ROSSTTER was bom in Brooklyn May 12th, 1871,
where he attended the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute

156 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

from wliicli lie was gracUiatcJ in 1S8S, when he commenced his business
career with H. A. Ilogcrs, of ^'e\v York city, witli whicli firm he
remained five years. He then organized the comjjany of Rossiter, Mc-
Govern & Company, nianiifacturers of electric machinery, in 1893,
which company was incorporated in 1898, and Mr. Eossiter was elected
the first president. Mr. Rossiter was married in 1895 to Miss Mabel
Fuller, daughter of the late Lewis Cass Fuller, of Troy, IST. Y. Their
family consists of four children, two boys and two girls, viz. : Richmond,
Ruth, ^'an'\Vyck, Ji-., and Margaret. Socially Mr. Rossiter is a member
of the Riding and Driving Chib of Brooklyn, N. Y., the Cresent Ath-
letic Club, of Brooklyn, and the Countiy Club, of Upper Nyack, the last
of which he is I'reasurer.

BENATATI Y. FROST was born at Birmingham, Conn., Septem-
lier 12th, 1848, and is a son of Floyd T. Frost, wlio moved to this county
about 1849 and settled near Piermont. He was one of the first of the
Erie Railroad conductors on a train nmning from Suffern to Piermont.
He died in 1862. His family consisted of two sons, viz.: Floyd T. Frost,
Jr., who is now in the Government employ at Washington, 1). C. and
Benaiah Y., our subject. Mr. Frost attended Crawford's School at Picr-
mout-on-thc-hill. At the age of seventeen years he entered the office of
Henry Fitch (k Co., Wall street, where the foundation of his business
career was laid. February 1st, 1873, he took the position of cashier for
E. P. Scott ik Co., and in 1875 this firm was succeeded by W. S. Gurnee,
Jr., & Co., bankers and brokei-s, of which Mr. Frost is one of the mem-
bers. He was married April 30, 1870, to Margaret Louisa Blanch,
daughter of Joseph Blanch, of Orangeburg, and their family consisted
of five children, of whom three are living, viz. : Ijcroy, who is the junior
member of the firm of AY. S. Gurnee, Jr., it Co., and also a member of
the N. Y. Stock Exchange; Fred J. and Blanche. Mr. Frost is a direc-
tor in a number of incorporated companies, viz.: Shelby Iron Co., of
Anniston, Ala.; the Last Dollar G. W. Mining Co., of Colorado; the
Chrysolite Silver Mining Co., of Colorado, and was until recently a
director of the Tennessee Coal and Iron Co. Socially he is a memlwr of
the Nyack CoiTnti-y Club, the Tappan Zee Yacht Club and the Sons of
the Revolution, also a member of the Nvack Reformed Church. His
great-grandfather, Samuel Delavan, who was a captain in the Continental

BIOGRAPHICAL,. 157

Army, had the honor of escorting Wasliini;'ton and (^liiiton into New
York city on evacuation day.

GUS. A. EICHMAN" is a German by birth. He has resided in this
country for the past fifteen years, and has during this period been
engaged in the tin manufacturing business in New York city. In No-
vember, 1901, he secured an interest in the Twentieth Century Broom
Com])any, at Congers, N. Y., and was the manager of the manufacturing
and shipping department of this prosperous concern. His wife was Miss
Hattie Bh:ick, of New York city, and his family consists of two children :
Stanley M., born March 10, 1898, and M. Nathaniel, born March 4,
1900. In June, 1902, Mr. Eichman sold his interest in the Twentieth
Century Broom Company and engaged in the ciitlery business in New
York city, and is doing a prosperous business there. His New York office
is 34 Howard street.

AUGUST BASSE is a German by birth. He was educated in that
country and scr\-cd in the lancers. Thirteenth Regiment, as an ufficer
for four years. He came to New York city in 1885 and established
himself in biisincss and remained there for six years. In 1891 he secured
his present hotel location at Rockland Lake. Here Mr. Basse enjoys the
friendship and patronage of many of New York's leading capitalists
and business men, who find it very pleasant and restful to nin away from
the city and enjoy the hospitality of Mein Host Basse and the invigorat-
ing air and mountain scenery of this favorite spot. Tbis is the favorite
outing place for the members of the New York Fresh Air Club, com-
posed of Wall street men, who are continually to be found here. Besides
the other attractions of this Avell known hostelry, there is a beautiful roof
garden, from which one obtains a grand view of the river, lake and moun-
tain scenery. Mr. Basse's family consists of wife, formerly Margaret
Eckeberg, and two children, Alfred and William. Mr. Basse is a mem-
ber of the Kakiat Tribe of Red Men, No. 267, of the National Benevo-
lent Association, and he has served as deputy sheriff for eight years, and
also as a notary public.

WILLIAM S. BURR, of Blauvelt, N. Y., comes from what is called
the Fairfield branch of the Buit family. Jehuc Burre came from Eng-
land aboi;t the year 1600 aud settled in Fairfield, Conn., where he

158 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

acquired considerable landed prof)erty and died about the year 1670. Of
his four sons Xathanicl (2) was born about 1640, married first Sarah
Ward, issue, two children; married second Ann , issue, six chil-
dren. Colonel Jolm (3), the eldest from second wife, was bom May
1673, mamed first Deborah , issue, five children; married sec-
ond, widow Elizabeth AVakeman, no issue. John (4), eldest son of Col.
John, man-ied Catherine Wakeman, October IS, 1722; twelve children.
Ozias (5), of Bridgeport, Conn., son of John, born May 1, 1739, married
Sarah Nichols, January 8, 1764; ten children; Ozias (5) died September
7, 1836; Sarah, his wile, died September 2, 1820, aged eighty-one years.
Amos (6), of Bridgeport, son of Ozias, born December 26, 1768, mar-
ried Abigail E. Shelton, of Huntington, April 18, 1796; eight children.
Amos (6) died ISTevember, 1856. Frederick (7), of Bridgeport, Conn.,
son of Amos, born July, 1807; man-ied Mary Burke, April, 1847. They
had five children: Amos S., William, Henry A., John E. and Caroline.
Erederick, the father, died in December, 1876. His wife died in 1898.
William S. Bun-, our subject, was bom at Bridgeport, Conn., January
20, 1850. Until fourteen years of age he lived with his parents at Bridge-
port, w^here he received a liberal education, and then went to Sommer-
ville, J^. J., where he remained twelve years, coming to Blauvelt in 1876.
Mr. Burr is unmarried and resides vn^h his brother, Henry, who mar-
ried Mrs. John M. Blauvelt.

EZEKIEL O. EOSE, Stony Point, was born in" Brooklyn, N. Y.,
February 10, 1846. Immediately after leaving school he secured a posi-
tion in the general store of Sheriff Penny, at Stony Point. He has trans-
acted business as assistant and since 1871 as sole proprietor in these prem-
ises for forty yeai"s. Mr. Rose has, however, not confined his business
transactions to conducting a general store, but has branched out into coal
and lumber and into the manufacture of brick, being part owner of the
Heitlinger & Rose yard, at Stony Point, and also that of A. Rose it Co.,
at Rondout, N. Y. He also for several years conducted a general store
at Tomkins Cove, the finn being E. O. & A. E. Rose. Mr. Rose is a
registered phannacist and conducts a dmg store in connection with his
genei'al store at Stony Point. He has been a Director in the People's
Bank at Haverstraw, !t>r. Y., since its organization, and a member of the
Stony Point High School Board since the erection of the new school
building. He has also been a member of the Board of Fii-e Commis-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 159

sioners since the Fire Department was organized, and for the jsast twenty-
iive years a trustee in the Presbyterian Chiu-ch at Stony Point.

CHAKLES T. WADSWOKTH is a native of Ontario county, N. Y.,
where he received his education, together with a course in the Scranton
schools. At eighteen years of age he came to Nyack and during the
seven years following held a position with Charles McElroy, where he
learned all the branches of the cai-penters and builder's trade and per-
fected himself in the general conduct of such an establishment. In
1889 he leased quarters on High avenue and opened a bviildcr's and con-
tractor's establishment, which he conducted at that location one year,
when he removed to his present quartei's 37^2 Cedar Hill avenue, and
took in as a partner James H. Kittle, the firm name being AVadsworth
& Kittle. On August 6, 1902, the fii-m was dissolved, Mr. Kittle retir-
ing, and the business is now owned and conducted by Mr. Wadsworth
individually. He has also established a branch office at Oakland Beach,
Eye, N. Y. In 1891 he married Miss Grace Burdick, of Nyack, and their
family consists of LeRoy Douglas, born October 29, 1893; William
Edgar, bom December 12, 1895. One child, Helen Francis, died July
26, 1899, aged eleven months. Mr. Wadsworth is one of the progressive
yoTing business men of Rockland county. His honesty and integrity are
imquestioned. His business methods are such as to ensure success in any
undertaking, and possessing as he does architectural skill and a prac-
tical knowledge of the requirements of his profession, he is peculiarly
fitted for the business in which he is engaged.

CHARLES A. CHAPMA^^, President of the Xyack N^ational Bank,
is a native of Westfield, Mass. Early in life he engaged with a banking
institution as clerk and in time had filled all the principal positions con-
nectetl \\'ith fiduciary business, such as clerk, bookkeeper, teller,
cashier, and finally president. The T^yack iN'ational Bank, of which Mr.
Chapman has been president for the past fifteen years, was organized
in 1878, and is the leading banking institiition in Rockland county. In
1889 Mr. Chapman was elected Treasurer of South Nyack. His judg-
ment as a financier is keen and accurate, and to his careful attention is
mainly due the prosperity of the !N'yack N^ational Bank. Mr. Chapman is
also identified with the social and business interests of the \'illage. He
has been president of the N. R. A., Rockland Lodge, F. and A. M., and

160 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

is identified with many coii^orations of botli public and private nature.
He is a valued member of tlie Republican party councils, and enjoys
the fullest confidence and respect of the general public.

CAPTAIN" JOEL WILSOIv^, U. S. V., A. M., superintendent and
proprietor of the Hudson River Military Academy, on the Hudson, at
Nyack, was born at Gorham, Ciunberland coiinty, Maine. His parents
Hibbard and Elizabeth Allen Wilson, were natives and lifelong residents
of that State. They were married in 1836 and removed from Falmouth
to Gorham, where they reared a family of ten children. Capt. Wilson
was the second child and oldest son of this family, seven of whom are
now living, and all were a few years ago engaged in teaching, located ali
the way from Maine to Japan. Captain Wilson taught the district
school and with the money earned had attended the High School at in-eg-
ular inten^als. Hardly had the preparation for college begun at the
academy ere he was sought as an instructor in various classes, thus mak-
ing a slender purse the long'er go. At the breaking out of the War of the
Rebellion he had just been elected Principal of a New England Acad-
emy, near Portland, Maine. He hoped the war might pass by, that duty
would not call him, for that would mean disaster to all his youthful plans.
But Bull Run came and went and with it the call for men. He hes-
itated not, and with one year's leave of absence, bade good-bye to tearful
pupils and the next day was in a soldiers' camp. AVith thousands of other
youths, not less patriotic than himself, the young soldier is soon lost in
the vast aggregation, representing the flower and strength of the nation,
the "Army of the Potomac." A year passed by and leave of absence
i,~ extended, and then another, until four years of army life had changed
the youth in his teens to a sunburnt, war-worn young cavalry officer. To
nan-ate the army record of Capt. Joel Wilson, of the First Maine Cavalry
Volunteers, would be to record almost the entire history of that grandest
of cavalry regiments. Capt. Wilson was mustered in at the first organiza-
tion, and was mustered out with the very last at the final disband of the
regiment. He began at Cedar Mountain. He ended at Appomattox.
Of best New England stock, of upright habits, con-ect morals, he became
innured to hardships almost Hereiilean, and for four years, at every call
of duty, he always answered "here." Returning from Sheridan's Tre-
vellian Raid, which closed fifty days and nights of almost constant rid-
ing, he was obliged to seek the field hospital, hoping thus to rally from

BIOGRAPHICAL. 161

the straiu of the long aud terrible cavalry work, lie had never had a
furlough; he had never asked for one; he never meant to go home till his
fighting work was done. For several weeks he lay in hospital at City
Point, where every waking hour, both night and day, was solaced by
the bursting shell or wliiz of picket shot, or roar of army volley, heeding
little, caring less, till the hospital train bore him north among Xew Eng-
land mountains. Soon we find him again at the front, a year hence to
return with a victorious regiment, bearing on its tattered battleflag moi^e
emblems of heroic prowess than are recorded of any other cavalry regi-
ment in the army. Hardly had the soldier become the citizen ere the
work of education was resumed, and after all these years we find him still
in the harness, battling for tlic right and fitting young men for lives of
usefulness. As Principal of the Hudson River Military Academy, a
preparatory school for boys, located at Nyack-on-the-Hudson, he lives
in the enjoyment of honors earned, and the pleasures that come from see-
ing boys and yoiing men develop into manly worth. Capt. Wilson retains
his interest in the old comrades, and where they are he is in the midst,
and calls upon him by them are never unheeded. Capt. Wilson is a
church communicant, a Mason, Knight Templar, Mystic Shrincr, Grand
Anny Comrade, Member of the Loyal Legion of ISTew York, and
Society of the Army of the Potomac, also of the Young Men's Christian
Association.

COLONEL ALFRED J. CASSE was bom in 1843 at Evans Mills,
X. Y. His father, William Casse, came to this country from France
about 1835, and settled at Evans Mills. In 1839 he married Marguerite,
daughter of Augustus Grappotte, who'was a man of much culture, hav-
ing had a liberal education before coming to this country. Here he
taught privately painting, drawing and languages, and for some time
VN'as a teacher at Proctor's Academy at Evans Mills. He died in 1887.
Their family consisted of five children, viz.: William P., died in 1900;
Alfred J., Augustus, Clara and John B. William P. enlisted in C
Company, Tenth ISTew York Heavy Artillery, and seiwed with his reg-
iment until the close of the war and was then mustered out Avith the
regiment, receiving an honorable discharge. He died in 1900. Augus-
tus, when only eighteen ycare old, enlisted in Company G. Twentieth
'Hew York Cavalry. He seiwed faithfully until the muster-out of the
regiment, but he contracted disease while in the service and died in

162 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

1809. Clara mamed Alfred Hcmstreet, of Micliigan, and died in 1885.
John B. resided at home until his death, which oceniTed in 1885. Col.
Alfred J., our subject, has fully sustained the family's good name. He
enlisted in C Battery, 1st Light Artillery, in the summer of 1861, where
he sei'\'ed as a private until honorably discharged for disability. He was
at the second Bull Run, Antietam and Fredericksburg engagements. He
returned to his home in Febraary, 1863. Having regained his health,
he entered the active work of recruiting for the 20th N. Y. Cavalry, rais-
ing part of a company, and was mustered in as a Second Lieutenant of
Co. G. In July he was promoted to First Lieutenant, and in the winter
to captain of L Company and assigned to duty as aide-de-camp under
Gen. E. S. MacKenzie, where he continued till Augaist, 1865, when he
was mustered oiit of the service with an honorable record. After about
one year Captain Casse engaged with J. C. Wemple & Co., \vith whom
he remained till 1880. He then established the firm of Casse, Lackey
& Co., manufacturers and importers of window shade material. Later
he formed a joint stock company known as the Pinney, Casse & Lackey
Co., and was elected vice president, which office he held until 1902. Col.
Casse's business career has been a successful one, due in a large degree to
his energy and ability. In 1866 he was appointed commissary on the
brigade staff of Gen. Bradley Winslow, with the rank of Major in the
JSTational Guard. A year later he was appointed to the command of the
35th Eegiment, National Guard. During the time the Colonel was in
command of the 35th Battalion he took an active interest in securing a
grant from the Legislature for building the present anuoiy in the city
of Watertown, N. Y., which is an ornament to the city, and Col. Casse
is entitled to great credit for his zeal in the matter. In 1882 the demands
of his business were such that he felt it necessary to resign from the
Isa.' ional Guard, and he left the ser^-ice with the record of being an able
and brilliant officer. The Colonel bears his years lightly and is at the
present time active and energetic. His career is one that i-eflects great
credit upon himself, his family and his country. Socially Col. Casse is
the fifth charter member of Lafayette Post, No. 140, G. A. R., of N"ew
York city, a post that numbers among its members some of the most
distingaiished soldiers of the country. He was married in 1885 and has
one son sixteen years old, who is a chip of the old block. He severed
his connection with the New York business in the spring of 1902 and
purchased a home at West Nyack consisting of eighty-eight acres. His

BIOGRAPHICAL. 163

second wife, whom he married in August, 1897, was Miss E. Virginia
Horgan, daughter of the late Timothy Horgan, a well known grocer of
Nyack during the last fifteen years of his life. She has one brother,
who is assistant editor of the N. Y. Tribune, and another the manager
of the art department of the jST. Y. World. Another brother is a con-
tractor and builder.

EUDOLPII LEXOW was born in IJcnmark Januaiy lU, 1822. His
preliminary education was obtained in the schools, both public and pri-
vate, of his native country, after completing which he entered the Kiel
University, taking up the study of law. He subsequently took up the
study of medicine in the Rostock University. Bom of wealthy parents,
Mr. Lexow enjoyed the advantages of a complete and thorough educa-
tion, and had he so elected, with his excellent legal training, and
a natural inclination toward the practice of law, he might have become
a power in the legal profession. Following his course in the Rostock
University, he became Vice Consul to his father, who was then Consul
General. He held the office about six years, imtil 1849, when he came
to Amei'ica. Soon after his amval in New York he engaged in news-
paper work and in the course of a few years purchased the Bellatris-
tisches, an influential weekly newspaper devoted to literature, art and
science, at that time one of the leading newspapers of the country. Mr.
Lexow's ownership of this paper extended over a period of thirty years,
until 1882, when he disposed of the property, and has not since been
engaged in active biisiness. For a number of years past Mr. Lexow has
resided in Nyack. Previous to that time, for some twenty-eight or thirty
years, his home was near N^anuet. Mr. Lexow has four children:
Charles, a lawyer in New York; Hon. Clarence Lexow, of Nyack,
ex-State Senator and practicing attorney, Avith offices in New York;
Allen, who is a stockholder in the New York Cab Co., and Rudolph, Jr.,
an extensive gold mine owner of Hondiiras.

HARRY M. GURNEE was bora at Stony Point, N. Y., July 11,
1885. While an infant his parents removed to Bloomingdale, N. J.,
where he received his education. He also attended a private school in
Monsey, N. Y. After leaving school he went to Newark and began
learning the carpenter's trade, which he followed for two years. He
then came to Mount Ivy and assisted his father in the care of the farm.

164 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Mr. Guriice has served several temis as highway commissiouer, has been
deputy sheriff and a member of the board of education of Kockland
county, and has for yeare been actively identified with, the Rockland
County Agi'icultiu'al Society, having held the ofiice of Vice President of
that society. In 1896 he embarked in the stone crushing business on
his farm at Mount Ivy. This business has since increased to the extent
that he now employs forty hands constantly. The product is shipped by
rail to various points in the eastern and southern part of the State and
enters into the construction of the highest quality of drives and road-
ways. His family consists of wife and four children: Anna, Harriette,
Jennie and Harry.

JAMES KILBY was born at Battle Creek, Mich., Oct. 12th, 1858.
In 1876 he came to Nyack as superintendent of a shoe factory. He occu-
pied that position until Hon. A. S. Tompkins' election as County Judge,
when he was appointed Clerk in the Surrogate's Court, which office he
filled during the full term of six years. He then purchased the insurance
business of R. H. M. Dickinson and is condiicting the same to-day, with
commodious oflfices at jSTo. 3 South Broadway, ISTyack, K. Y. Mr. Kilby
is a member of Rockland Lodge, No. 723, and Rockland Chapter, F.
and A. M. He is also a member of the Nyack Tribe of Red Men and
Court Tappan Zee, Foresters of America, and belongs to the Y. M. C. A.
of Nyack. His family consists of wife, formerly Miss Edith M. Van
Etten, of Newark, N. Y., daughter of Henry VanEtten, a prominent
peppermint oil distiller of that place, and foiu- children: Ethel J., John
VanEtten, Henry P. and J. Douglas. Mr. Kilby is a Republican and
a member of the Republican County committee. He has served as vol-
imteer fireman of Nyack.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER SMITH was born in Pottstown, Pa.,
September 9th, 1820. He received his ediieation in the academies of
Princeton and Philadelphia and when thirteen years of age entered a
counting house as clerk, where he remained five years. He then engaged
with a banking house in Philadelphia, and afterward went to New York
and engaged as clerk with a banking and brokei-age fimi, with whom he
was taken as junior partner in 1844. In 1844 Mr. Smith was elected
to the New York Stock Exchange, with which he has been ever since
QCtively identified. He was Treasurer of the Exchange from 1864 to

BIOGRAPHICAL. 165

1866, and President from 1866 to 1867; in fact, he is now its oldest liv-
ing active member. There are no members living but himself who
joined in 1844. Mr. Smith has been twice married. His first wife was
a daughter of Rev. Dr. Bull, of Chester county. Pa., by whom ho had
four children. Only two are now living, viz. : Robert Hobert, born in
1848, a retired Xew York banker, and Clara Hunter, bom in 1852, wife
of Rev. L. C. Stewardson, of Lehigh University. Mr. Smith's second
wife is a daughter of George Jones, of New York. They have one son,
William Alexander Smith, Jr., bom in 1873. He is a member of the
New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Smith has found time to devote some
of his attention from a very active career upon the Stock Exchange to
laudable enterprises and the encouragement of benevolent institutions;
he is at present Vice President of St. Luke's Hospital, New York, was
Vice President of the Continental Trust Company, President Sheltering
Arms, Chainnan of the Gratuity Fund of the Stock Exchange, 'J'reas-
urer of the Parocial Fund, New York, Treasurer of the Clergy Relief
Fund of the General Convention, Vice President City Mission Society
of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Chairman of the Executive Commit-
tee and Trustee of Trinity School of New York, and various other bodies.

THE HARING FAMILY. In 1624 John DeVries, a native of
Iloorn, in the north of Holland, proposed to visit New Nethcrland,
but abandoned the enterprise. In 1630 DeVries formed a partnership
and sixteen families emigrated to New Netherland. DeVries, with the
sixteen families, arrived at Tappan and purchased from the Indians a
strip of land about eight miles long and two to five in width, lionnded on
the north by the Greenbusli swamp, east by the Nyack mountains, south
by the Dueskill, near Randall (or Harrington), west by Hackensack
creek. Thomas Dongan, Captain-General and Governor of New York
and Territory, etc., granted a patent to sixteen families of the above
tract, which DeVries named Vriesendale (Tappan patent or Orange-
town). The yeai-ly consideration to the Governor for the patent was six-
teen bushels of good, merchantable winter wheat. The tract of land was
called Navoasunk lands up to 1769. The purchase and grant was made
in the time and reign of James II. Among the sixteen families a census
shows the names to appear of John DeVries, Peter Harni, M. Oattes
Ilarni, etc. The tract of land was abandoned and again in 1086 was re-
occupied. The census shows twenty families occupying said Vriosland

166 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

(or dale) patent. Among them are the names of Cornelius Haringli, Cat-
tie, his wife, one boy and four girls. Peter Ilaringh and Gi'etie, his
wife, one boy and five girls: Cosyn Ilaringh, Mary, his wife, two
boys and two girls. Orange county (then Rockland and Orange com-
bined) for the first twenty-five years, from 1701 to 1726, sent but one
representative to the Continental General Assembly. Of that time, with
the exception of seven years, said representative was from the Haring
family, viz.: Peter Haring, 1701 to 1708-1711; Cornelius Haring,
1713-1725; Peter Haring, 1726. From 1726 to the dissolution of the
Provincial Assembly in 1875, Orange county sent two members, of
whom Cornelius Haring, 1727 to 1737; Abram Haring, 1745 to 1747,
were representatives. On July 4, 1774, at a meeting of free-holdci-s in
Orangeto^vn held at Yost Mabie's ('76 House) "The Orangetown Resolu-
tion," consisting of seven articles, were drawn vxp and adopted, which
contained the germ of the gi-eat principles embodied in the Declaration
of Independence. John Haring and Peter Haring, with three othei's,
were appointed a committee for the to'svn to correspond with the city of
New York to conclude and agree upon such measures as should be found
expedient to obtain redress and conditions sought. The five articles of
the resolutions of this meeting formed a part of what was known as the
"Non-Importation AgTeement," which was adopted by the Continental
CongTcss at Philadelphia October 20, 1774. The Non-Importation arti-
tles were subsequently certified to by several other colonics and was one
of the overt acts that precipitated the Revolution. April, 1775, John
Haring, Esq., was chosen delegate from Orange coimty "south of the
mountains" to the Provincial Congress and elected President of the
same. In 1783 John Haring was chosen delegate from "south of the
mountains" to the Constitutional Convention at Poughkeepsie. 1785-
1787 Jolui Haring wa.s again chosen to Congress. First County Judge,
Peter Haring, 1717 to 1727; Cornelius Haring, 1729 to 1733; Abram
B. Haring, Jr., 1739 to 1749; Abram Haring, Jr., 1749 to 1769; John
Haring, 1774. John Ilai-ing was the first Jiidgc after the colony was
organized into a State 1778 to 1788. Peterus Ilami, of Hami, North
Holland, came to America in 1630-40. His son, Peter, married Cattys
Boogaert (first generation born in this county). In 1633 Jan Peterse
(2d gen.) was born. He married Margi-etie Cosvaise in 1660. Cozyn
Haringh (3d gen.) was born in 1669 and married Martige Blauvclt in

BIOGRAPHICAL. 167

1680. Jan Peterse Haringli (4tli gen.) mamed in 1700 Alice Van
Dolssen. Johannes Haringh (5th gen.) maiTied Grietye Blauvelt in
1720. Isaac Haringh (6th gen.) married Maria Conklin in 1752. Cor-
nelins Haring (7th gen.) man-ied Safeye Demarest in 1790. He died in
1831. Isaac C. Haring, M. I)., (8th gen.) was born in 1828; married
Sarah Tallman in 1850 and died in 1900. He left five children of the
9t.li generation, ^•iz. : C'antine Hasbrouck, Treasurer of a large wool
scouring and commission biisiness at Aurora, 111. ; Ellen Sophia, Cornel-
ius I., a practicing lawyer of Milwaukee, Wis., and has been Secretary
of the State Bar Association for a n;unber of years; Bertha S. and John
C; Cantine Hasbrouck married Marion Brady. Ellen Sophia man-ied
Dr. F. S. Schenk, a professor of Pastoral Theology at the Theological
seminary at New Brunswick, N. J.; John C, bom in 1857, mar-
ried Alice Sickels in 1879 and has the following children (10th gen.):
James Demarest, broker and member of the Consolidated Exchange,
born in 1881; Elsie S., born in 1882, married Alex. Taylor and has one
child, Alice S. (11th gen.), bom 1901; Sarah E., born 1884; and Mar-
garet T., born in 1891.

JOHN" C. HARING, otu- subject, was born at New City, N. Y.,
October 19, 1857. He received his edvication in the public schools and
at Rutgers College High School. He then entered business in New
York city, but was forced to retire, owing to ill health. He purchased
a fann in Clarkstown and followed farming for a number of years. He
then took up carpenters- and building. Mr. Haring has always been a
staunch Republican and was the first of the family to secede from the
Democratic party. He has been urged to accept varioiis nominations,
but always declined, preferring to work for the success of other candi-
dates. He has been closely connected with educational matters. He has
been a member of the Board of Education of Union Free School No. 7
for several years and has always been connected with the Rcfonned
Dutch Chiirch of Clarkstown. Mr. Haring has earnestly fTirthcrod and
supported every good movement in the commxmity and is a worthy rep-
resentation of one of Rockland county's oldest and most prominent
famili«.

168 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

WILLIAM II. HUNT was bom in Tarrytown, X. Y., Febniary 17,
1 S76. He received his education in the public schools of that city and
Eastman's Business College, of Poughkeepsie, from which he graduated
in 1899. The year previous to his course at Eastman's College he was
employed as bookkeeper for the Weston Electric Company of Xew York,
and immediately- upon finishing his education he resTxmed his old posi-
tion with the Weston Company and remained there one year. In ISIovem-
ber, 1900, he came to !N"yack and purchased the grocery business of AY
E. Bartow, at West Xyack, which he is still conducting. October, 1901,
lie married Eva Meyers, of Bethel, Conn. John P. Hunt, the grand-
father of our subject, was a native of Sing Sing, at which place his father
owned a large amount of property. When a young man he learned the
carpenter's and builder's trade and for many year.s was one of the fore-
most builders in New York city, and at the time of his death wa; reputed
to be worth a quarter of a million, all of which he made himself start-
ing in life with a cash capital of six hundred dollars. His son, John P.
Hunt, Jr., the father of our subject, was born in New York and spent
his life there. He was occupied mainly in the care and manageruent of
his father's large jiroperty interests in that city. He died in 1879.

STEPHEN ]\[ERRITT was born in New York city March 6, 1833,
where he attended the public school, and later graduated from the Arme-
nia Seminary. His father, Stephen Merritt, Sr., was born at Marl-
borough-on-the-Hudson in 1803 and he was married in 1S22 to Phebe
Ann Porter, of Paterson, N. J. Their family consisted of eight chil-
dren, of whom Stephen alone survives. He started in the undertaking
business in New York city in 1848 and conducted the same until his
death, which took place in 1877. Stephen Merritt, ovir subject, at the
age of nineteen years, entered the employ of his father in the undoitak-
ing establishment and continued with him until his death (1877), when
he succeeded to the business, which under his able management has
grown to be the largest of the kind in the world. In 1899 it was incor-
porated as the Stephen Merritt Burial and Cremating Company, located
at Nineteenth street and Eighth avenue, New York city, with a capital
of $2,500,000. Mr. Merritt was elected President nf the comiiany, which
oiflce he still holds. He has also been clergyman of the M. E. Church

BIOGRAPHICAL. 169

for the last forty years. In that time he has had charge of fifteen
churches, among which were Piermont, Tappan, Rockland and others.
He now has charge of the M. E. Church on Nineteenth street and Eighth
avenue. In 1854 he was married to Miss Mary E. Shurragar, of "Xew
York city. Their family consisted of three children, viz. : Sarah Eliza
(now Mrs. Gilbert 11. Crawford, of Xyack), Stephen W., who died in
1891 at the age of thirty-three, and Mary E., married to L. Ivloiisch,
editor of the Christian Herald, 100 East Seventeenth street, iS'ew York.
Mr. and ]\Irs. Meiritt have lived in Nyack for the past thirty years and
are very highly esteemed.

FEEDERICK E. PITKIN was bom in Brooklyn, N". Y., whcr« he
received his education in the public schools. His father, John 11. Pit-
kin, was born in Hartford county, Conn., and in his earlier days was
identified with the dry goods business in New York city and Georgia, but
finally settled in the real estate business in East New York, better known
now as the 26th Ward, Brooklyn. He was married to Miss Sophia M.
Thrall, of Litchfield county. Conn. Their family consisted of six chil-
dren, viz.: George D., who died in 1890; Francis A., died 1897; Georg-
iana L., died 1899; Frederick E., Wolcott H., of Albany, and John W.,
of Englewood. His wife died in 1849. He then married Miss Mary W.
Allen and they had three children, one of whom only survives, Emma V.,
of Long Island. Ho died in 1886, respected by all Avho knew him. Fred-
crick E. Pitkin commenced his business career in the boot and shoe trade
and was one of the originators of the ''East New York Boot and 31ioe
Mfg. Co.," incoi-porated in 1858, and was elected Secretary-Treasurer,
Avhich office he held for about thirty years, when he severed his connec-
tion and became interested in the Pitkin Holdsworth Worsted Co., Incor-
])orated, having two mills, one at Passaic, N. J., and the other in 1 .jOth
street. New York city. Was elected President, which office he still holds.
He is also President of a sanitarium near Flushing, L. I., and a director
in tlie North River Steamboat Co. Mr. Pitkin was married in 1868
to Miss Jane Augusta Hall, daughter of William Hall, of Saratoga
county. They have a family of three children, viz.: Bertha Louisa,
who is married to Dr. John O. Polock; Jane Hall and Lillian A.
Mr. Pitkin is a momlicr of the Montauk Club, of Brooklyn, and the

170 HISTORY OP ROCKL,AND COUNTY.

Country Chib, of Nyack. He has one of tlie many beautiful homes
on the banks of the Hudson, which Upper Xyack is noted for.

DAVID H. MC COXXELL was born in Oswego, X. Y., July 18th,
1858. He acquired an education in the public schools of that place, after-
ward taking a course in the Oswego Xonnal School. At the age of seven-
teen he began canvassing for the sale of books for a Xew York concern.
In this work he was successful from the start and after a few months'
service was made general manager, which position he occupied the three
years following. He then resigned and accepted a position with the
Union Publishing Compajiy, with headquarters at Chicago, and three
years later the company placed him in charge of the entire southern
territory, with headquarters at Atlanta, Ga. Two years thereafter he
purchased the business of his employers and conducted it with success
until 1892, when, his other business interests demanding an ever increas-
ing share of his attention, he was compelled to dispose of the book bus-
iness. Aboiit 1882 Mr. McConnell started in a small way the manufuc-
ture of perfumes and put his product out imder the name of the Cali-
fornia Perfume Company. From the start this enterprise was successful
and before very long found that liis headquarters in Kew York were inad-
equate for his growing business. He then erected his present labora-
tory, which is located at Suffern, N. Y., at which place he manufactures
his entire line of perfumes, toilet requisites and flavoring extracts. This
business has grown so extensively that there is hardly a city, town or
hamlet in the United States where his goods cannot be bought. He
employs at his laboratory on an average of eighteen hands and has
equipped his plant with the finest and best machinery. Since the plant
was ei-ectcd in Suffern two additions have been made, so that its i>res-
ent capacity is about double what it was when first biiilt. In addition to
manufacturing the goods for the California Perfume Co., Mr. .McCon-
nell is also the proprietor of the perfume firm of Goetling & Co. These
goods are also made at the Suffern laboratory. The executive ofHce and
sales-room are at 12() Chambers street, Xew York city. Bi-anch offices
have been established in Luzerne, Pa.; Davenport, Iowa; Dallas, Tex.,
and San Francisco, Cal. Besides Mr. McConnell's perfume interests,
he carries on a wholesale trade as jobber in tableware. Since becoming
a resident of Rockland county Mr. McConnell has always takoi a deep

BIOGRAPHICAL,. 171

interest in its welfare. For tliree years lie served on the Board of Edu-
cation of Siiffern and was President of the Board when the queilion of
a new school bnilding came np and it was decided to erect the present
structure. Mr. McConnell was instrumental in starting tlie Suffeni
National Bank, of which he is the largest individual stock-holder, and
holds the office of Vice President. In 1885 he was united in marri.ige
^vith Lue E., daughter of William Ward Hayes, of Chicago, 111. Mr.
McConnell resides in SufFern, N. Y., and has just completed the erijction
of a handsome residence on a piece of property known as the '"Ridge,"'
which he purchased a few years ago. Its location is considered one of
the finest in Suffeni, on account of the extensive view and at tlie same
time is in close proximity to the village.

JOHN W. FURMAN. The ancestors of the Furman family were
three brothers who came to this countiy in Colonial times from ;he bor-
der-land between France and Gennany. One settled on Long Island
and many of his descendants are still there; some, however, went to
Maine, and still others to South Carolina, where Furman University is
a monument to the family name. The second brother settled in Genesee
county, N. Y., and the third in Essex county, N. J. Gilbert Furman,
father of John W., was a member of the branch that settled on Long
Island. The old Furman homestead was situated near the present City
Hall in Brooklyn, and the family burying-ground was between Bushwick
avenue and Broadway. Gilbert Furman was born in Rockland county,
N. Y., November 28, 1807, and was the son of William, who was born
February 21, 1771, in the town of Ramapo. William Furman married a
daughter of the Cooper family, prominent in the early history of tiie
county. Gilbert Furman married Sarah Van Wart, of New Jersey. He
followed agricultural and lumbering pursuits, and, dying in ^lay, 1SS9,
left a widow, two daughtei"s and seven sons. He was a man of high char-
acter, noted for his honesty and industry. He was a member of the
Methodist denomination, in which he held various official positions. He
^\■as buried from the ]\Iechanicsville M. E. Church, the Rev. Dr. Freeman
and the Rev. Mr. Hurd officiating in the sei-vice, and was borne to his
last resting place by six of his sons: Henry, George, John, Monroe, Ben-
jamin and Harmon, his oldest son, William, escorting his (widow)

172 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

mother. Jotn W. Fiiniian was bom in the town of Haverstraw ilarch
9, 1847. His mother was a descendant of the VanWart and Dye fam-
ilies, of New Jersey. She was a woman of a lovable disposition and pos-
sessed many Christian qualities. She was always ready to do a kind act
and to relieve the suffering. A true mother and gi'eatly belo'ved by her
family and many friends. She died in September, 189-3, and was borne
by her six sons, William, Henry, George, Monroe, Benjamin and Har-
mon, and buried beside her hiisband. Mr. Furman's youth was spent
working on the fann and attending the district school at Camp Hill,
until he was eighteen years of age, when he entered the Canandaigua
Academy and later the Oswego Normal School, being graduated from
the Nonnal School in 1871. He entered Cornell University in 1873,
and in 1879 was enrolled at the Law School of the New York University,
from which institution he was graduated in 1881, with a degree of L. L.
B. For several years following Mr. Fiirman was engaged in teacning,
first in Westchester county and for a time in the city schools of Bing-
hamton. He began the practice of law with the Hon. George W. Wei-
ant, of Haverstraw, County Judge and SuiTogate of Bockland coimty,
and after remaining in this connection several years opened an office in
ilain street, where he has since practiced his profession. Apart from
his profession, Mr. Furman has taken an active interest in the educa-
tional affairs of the village of Haverstraw. For many years he has been
Clerk of the Board of Education, and in the successive steps which led
to the re-organizing of the public school system and the erecting of tlie
present large Academy, he bore an important part. ^[r. J'umiau has
also served several tenns as Village Clerk. His religious connection is
with the Methodist Episcopal Church of Haverstraw, in which he is a
steward and the teacher of the Bible class. In social affairs ilr. Fumnan
is a Free Mason, a Knight of Pythias and an Odd Fellow. He has filled
successively every chair in lona Lodge, K. of P., and has also been the
District Grand Deputy; in Sequel Lodge, L O. O. F., he is a Past Noble
Grand. Mr. Furman married Miss Ida M. Holmes, of Haverstraw, a
very estimable lady, a member of one of the oldest families of the cinmty.

PROF. LUTHER O. ]\rARKHA]\r. There is no profession that
brings with it greater responsibilities or requires l.-irgcr talents tlian tli!;t

BIOGRAPHICAL. 173

of the teachor — lie who molds the youthful mind and prepares it for the
Avoi'ld of activity. To say, therefore, that a man fills this responsible
position satisfactorily and efficiently is to bestow upon him the highest
praise. With truth this statement can be made of Prof. Markham, Su-
perintendent of the public school of Haverstraw, and a man well and
widely known as a successful educator. Through his grandfather, Alden
Markham, the subject of this notice traces his lineage to John Alden, of
Puritan fame. The line of descent is as follows : John Alden and Pris-
cilla Mullens, Jasper Alden and Mary Suimncrs, John Alden and Han-
nah White, Kev. Noah Alden and Mary Vaughn, the former having
been a prominent man in his day in Massachusetts; Lucy Alden (daugh-
ter of the above) and Darius Markham, the latter a member of a family
that traced its ancestry back to two brothers who came to America with
the Plymouth colony; Alden Markham and Elizabeth Pease, daugh-
ter of Capt. Abner Pease, son of Isaac Pease, of Enfield, Conn., son '.f
Isaac Pease, of Salem, Mass., son of John, who in 1634, at the age of
four years came to America from Ipswich, England, with his father,
Kobert; Alden Markham and Catharine D. Cook, the latter a daugUtcT
of ISTathaniel and Hulda (Sprague) Cook, natives, respectively, of Sara-
toga county, jST. Y., and Massachusetts; Luther O. Markham and Jen-
nie A. Lane, whose two children, Convas L., now a senior in the medical
department of Columbia University, and Amanda Rose, a recent grad-
uate of the Haverstraw High School, represent the ninth generation in
America. The subject of this sketch was bom in West Fulton, Scho-
harie county, N. Y., xVpril 11, 1851. His parents, Alden and Catharine
D. (Cook) Markham, natives of Otsego and Schoharie counties, respec-
tively, were the parents of five children: Convas E., who married Car-
rie Louden; iN^athaniel C, who died when young; Asher, who married
Jane Hancock; Luther O. and Louisa E., who married Elam W. Haveiv
ley. The father in early life began teaching, but later operated a farm
in Schoharie county, where he reared his family. Luther 0., when a
lad of twelve yeai-s, was bereaved by his mother's death, and the old
home was then broken up and the family scattered. He went with his
father to Massachusetts, where two years later his father died. He
worked during the summer months and attended school in the winter
until 1869, when at the age of eighteen he entered the Albany Normal

174 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

School, from wliieh he was gTaduatcd in 1872. Iminediately after com-
pleting his studies, Prof. Markham entered upon professional work. In
fact, two weeks before graduating he came to Haverstraw and accepted
the position of Principal of a school at that place. The people there nad
applied to L)r. Joseph Alden, President of the Normal School, to send
a teacher, there being a vacancy, and he sent our subject. Tlie latier
has since remained in that village, with the exception of one year. Tlib
first position was that of Principal of a school, with three assistants. In
1885 that school was consolidated with another, a new building erected
and he has since been retained as Principal and Superintendent. The
enrollment of pupils is between ten and eleven hundred, and there is a
well equipped coi^ps of twenty-one teachers, the most of whom are normal
graduates and trained for professional work. The school building, which
was erected in 1884-85, is steam heated, furnished with evcrj conven-
ience for teaching, and is said to be the best arranged building of the
kind in the State. Since the main building was put up an addition of
five rooms has been made. In 1875 Prof. Markham was admitted to the
Bar, but he has never engaged in legal practice. He is a member of tlie
Rockland County and the State Teachers' Associations, and has, during
his residence at Haverstraw, been a member of Dr. Freeman's cougxe-
gation. In Masonry he is identified with Stony Point Lodge, No. 313.
and for four ye'ars was Master of the lodge. For a time he was Assistant
Grand Lecturer, and while serving in that capacity visited many of the
lodges in the district. He also holds membership in lona Lodge. K. of
P. December 24th, 1879, he married Jennie A. Lane, who was born
in Irving-ton and reared in Haverstraw, being the daughter of John H.
and Amanda (Rose) Lane. •

PERRY FAMILY. Muriah Perry was bom in Prussia in 1723.
He came to the United States in 1731 and lived with his son, William
Perry, at the Hook, in Upper jSTyack, at which place he died in 1829.
Six children survived him, three sons and three daughters: John, Har-
mon and William, Sarah, Mariah and Elizabeth, respectively. John
Perry's children were John G., David and Landy Gilchrist; Harmon's
were Daniel and William H. ; William's were Edward, Catherine, Jane
Caroline, William, Daniel, Adaline and Fidelia. William's son Daniel
was born February 12, ISOS. On Febniar}' 3, 1827, Daniel Perry mar-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 175

ried Maria Eykcr, born June 30, 1806, she being the daughter of Henry
Tfvker, born July 15, 1784. Daniel Perry's wife died and on April 22,
1839, he maiTied his second wife, Asenith Hartwick, boni Augiist 13,
1820; As a result, of these two marriages ten children were born: Henry
Eiker, April 28, 1828; Elizabeth, January 20, 1830; Hannon, Novem-
ber 26, 1831; Jane, November 28, 1833; Martin VanBuren, November
13, 1835; Mary, December 12, 1837; Daniel, November 4, 1839; Wil-
liam, Jidy 25, 1841; Saamiel, May 30, 1843; John Henry, April 17,
1846. Daniel Perry married Caroline A. Wyman on October 5, 1864.
She was bom January 11, 1845, and died June, 15, 1869. She was the
daughter of Moses Wjnnan and on November 27, 1865, a son, Eugene
Eranklin Perry, was born to them. On April 8, 1891 Eugene Franklin
married Margaret Gesner ]\Iar, daughter of John E. Mar, of AVest
Haven, (^nn. She was born October 24, 1866, and the wedding
took place at West Haven, Conn. Three children were born to
them: Dorothy Louise, b()rn April 18, 1893; Helen May, bom May
13, 1896; Eugene Franklin, Jr., born September 14, 1897. Daniel
Peny died July 28, 1881. Eugene F. Perry began his business career
with the lumber firm of Gumee & Gregory, afterward taking up the
ship-building trade, which he followed about seven yeai-s at Nyack and
West Haven. He then re-entered the liunber business and for thirteen
years was engaged extensively in the wholesale lumbA* b^isiness. In
1898 he was elected Secretary of the National Wholesale Lumber
Dealers' Association and occupies that office at the present time.

GERRIT SMITH. Jeffrey Smith came to Madison, New Haven
county. Conn., in the yft»!»'HfOO, from Hadam, Conn. His father, a
sea captain, camg from SuiTey, England, and located at Hadam in the
latter part of the seventeenth century, and a few years thereafter died
at sea. JeflFrey Smith followed his trade, that of blacksmith, at Madison.
His son Ezra married and of his family Andrew is the father of our
subject. Andrew removed to New York and engaged in the commis-
sion business, in which he was very successful. He remained in this bus-
iness until 1869, when he retired. His death occurred in July, 1899.
Gerrit Smith was bom in Madison, Conn., January 8th, 1854. He
was liberally educated, attending the schools of Madison, and later
entered Lee's Academy, at that time popular, especially among south-

176 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

era families, lie graduated from tliis institution in 1872. He then
engaged as surveyor in the U. S. Coast Survey of New Haven harbor
and Long Island Sound, having previously studied civil engineering.
He was engaged in this survey one year. He then entered Yale Uni-
versity and graduated from the academical department with the class
of '77. The following year he taught in a hoys' preparatory school of
New Haven and then re-entered Yale University, taking up the study
of law. He graduated from the law department in 1880 and was admit-
ted to the Bar in Connecticut. He then came to New York, where he
stTidied two years, and was then admitted to the New York Bar and began
the practice of his profession, with offices at 52 Broadway. In 1883 he
married Lela A., daughter of Charles Wood, of Berlin, Conn. They
have a son, Reynold W., aged seventeen, and a daughter, Helen M.,
aged thirteen. Mr. Smith has resided in Nyack ^ince 1893. He has
during this time been actively identified with the Central Nyack Con-
gregational Church and is now a member of the Board of Deacons, and
is also Superintendent of the Sunday school. He is a member of the
Nyack Y. M. C. A., of which he is also a director. He Ls tnvstce of
the Nyack Public Library and trustee ofjhe Nyack Building and Loan —
Association. t-^l 3«\ V^. W^^cWt^^-t-vi/t"-. iv--vMHV-> ,^^

DANIEL D. SHERMAN, a prominent lawyer of New York city,
was born in that city December 20th, 1857. He received a liberal educa-
tion, first at Siglar's Academy, at Newbiirgh, aftei-ward entering Yale
College, from which he graduated in July, 1877. He began his legal
career with the finn of William & Stephen Fullert.on, of New York,
where he remained for several years. He was later associated with S. A.
Blatchford in editing the reports and decisions of the U. S. Circuit Court
of Appeals, in addition to conducting a general law practice, from 1894
to 1899. A partnei-ship was then formed with S. A. Blatchford, in 1899,
irader the name of Blatchford & Shennan, which is still continued at
31 Nassau street. New Yoi*k, where they condiict a general business in
the State and Federal Coiu'ts. Major William C'. H. Shennan.
father of our subject, was born in Norwich, Conn., January, 1829. He
came to New York city and engaged with the New England Cotton Mills
as salesman. When the Civil War broke out he was appointed assistant
paymaster of the State of New York. He seiwed throughout the war

BIOGRAPHICAL. 177

and latei" retired, making his Lome iu Orange county. His death
occurred iu 18S2. Ho was married to IVIiss Amelia Taft, daughter of
On-ay Taft, of Providence E. L, who died in 1889. Daniel D. Sherman
moved to this county in 1889 and in 1892 purchased a handsome home
on the Hudson river, at Sovitli Nyack, where he has since resided. He
was man-ied in 1887 to Cornelia A. Dcyo, daughter of Dr. Nathaniel
Deyo, of Newburgh, N. Y., and his family consists of two sons: Eobert
Deyo and Tracey Hazard. Mr. Sherman has served as Village Tnistee
of South Nyack, for three years, and is a member of the Bar Association
of New York. In politics he is a Sound Money Democrat.

FRANK S. HARRIS was born at Bloomingburgh, Sullivan county,
N. Y., April 19, 1860. He attended the public schools of that place
as a boy and afterward entered the State Normal College at Albany,
graduating from there in 1879. He next entered Cohnubia College and
began the study of law. By close application and a natural aptitude
for the profession, he made rapid progTess, and at the close of the first
year's coiirse was admitted to the Bar. Mr. Hams then devoted a num-
ber of years to a mercantile business, conducting a store in the village of
Ramapo until 1894, when he disposed of this business and opened an
office for the practice of law in Suffern. Mr. Harris is Supervisor for
the town of Ramapo and has been Corporation Counsel of the village
since its incorporation in 1896; a director in the Suffern National Bank,
and director and counsel for the town of Ra.mapo Building and Loan
Association, No. 1. His father, Stephen Harris, was a native of Orange
county, N. Y., removing with his parents when a child to Maryland,
where he followed the trad© of carpenter and builder until 1850, when
he removed to Bloomingbiirgh, N. Y., and for years conducted a bus
iness at that place. He died in 1885.

IRVING HOPPER, attorney at law, was bom in Monsey, Rock-
land county, N. Y. He is descended from an old Rockland county fam-
ily. Jacobus VanOrden, in the year 1784, purchased a large tract of
land at the foot of Scotland Hill, in the town of Clarksto^vn. After his
death Garret A. Hopper, who had married his daughter, Maria, acquired
the interests of the other heirs and settled on this farm. He had one
son, Andrew, and three daughters, Catharine, who man-ied Jacob N.

178 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY,

Hopper; Polly, who man-ied Abraham G. Ackcrman, and Elizabeth, who
married VanRipcr. Andrew Hopper was willed the farm and dwelt
there. His children were James VanOrden, Albert T., John H., Matilda
v.'ife of Jacob C. Deronde and Mary Ann, wife of Peter S. VanOrden.
James VanOrden Hopper (named after his gTandfathei-), was a grocer
and spent the greater part of his life in this connty. In the year 1877
he purchased a business in Montgomery, Orange county, 'N. Y., and died
there in the year 1879. He was noted for his strict honesty and ster-
ling integTity. He left surviving him, his \\ddow Susan, daughter of
Wm. Johnson, and four sons, Andrew, William, Jr., Irving and Edgar.
Irving Hopper was educated in the local schools and at the age of fifteen
years entered the law otflce of Garrett Z. Snider at Spring Valley in
this county. He was admitted to the Bar May 15, 1890, and has since
that time practiced in Nyack. He is prominent in his profession, being
especially so in that branch devoted to the settlement of estates and real
property law. He is the attorney for the Nyack Biiilding Co-operative,
Savings and Loan Association. He was married in 1895 to Elsie, daugh-
ter of John Ross, in his life time a prominent business mau of Kyack,
and their family consists of one daughter.

FREDERICK S. WEIANT was bom in Haverstraw February 27,
1878. He attended the village piiblic and private schools, and graduated
from the Columbia Grammar School of Xew York City. He next at-
tended Columbia University and later the IN^ew York Law School, from
which he was admitted to the Bar in 1890. Mr. Weiant also studied
law in the oflice of Ex-District Attorney William McCauley of Haver-
straw. He is a son of Judge George W. Weiant who died in 1895. In
politics. Democratic, he has the courage of his convictions, and has be-
come a power in the councils of the party. In 1901 Mr. Weiant was
fleeted Sheriff of Rockland coimty by a handsome majority and is per-
forming the duties of the office to the satisfaction of his friends and the
public. Sheriff Weiant is identified Avith local social and benevolent
institutions, and is highly regarded as a rising young lawyer and
politician.

FRAXK COMESKY, Ex-District Attorney for Rockland county,
with residence at Nyack, was bom in Carmel, Putnam county, I^. Y.,

BIOGRAPHICAL. 179

on the 14th of January, 1858. He is the son of Owen and Ann (Magie)
Comesky, who were of Irish extraction. In his early boyhood Mr.
Comesky's parents moved from Cai-niel to Tapi^an, this county, where
they made their home until their decease. The father was a fanner by
occupation, and was an industrious, perseverinp,- man. The rudiments
of his education Mr. Comesky obtained in the public schools, but not
being satisfied to begin life with such knowledge as could be gained
there, he afterward entered the State jSTormal School at Albany, N. Y.,
and remained in that institution imtil he was graduated in 1881. It
was his intention to make teaching his life work, and immediately after
completing his course of study he accepted the position of Principal of
the Grassy Point Public School, where he remained for two years. The
three following years, from 1883 to 1886, he was employed as Prin-
cipal of the JMount iloor Public School, in this coimty. Meantime Mr.
Comesky turned his attention to the law, and devoted his sparc^ hours to
its study. He was admitted to the Bar in 1886, at the general tenn of
the Supreme Court in Brooklyn. In April, 1887, he openetl an office
at Nyack, where he has since engaged in active practice. Soon after
coming here he began to take an active part in public affaire. In 1890
he was elected School Commissioner over Alonzo Bedell, the Republi-
can candidate, and served in that capacity for three years, thoiigh not
abandoning his practice. In 1893 he was nominated for the office of
District Attorney by the Democratic party and was elected without op-
position, the Republicans nominating no candidate against him. In
1890 he was delegate to the National Democratic convention at Chicago,
also delegate to the National Democratic convention at Kansas City in
1900. In his fraternal relations Mr. Comesky is a member of Waway-
anda Lodge, No. 315, F. and A. M., Piemiont, and he is also actively
connected with the Order of Foresters and the Nyack Rowing Associa-
tion. As an attorney he is keen, shrewd, well infonned reg-arding all
the technicalities of the law, and fitted to discharge the duties of any pub-
lic position in a manner satisfactory to the people of the county. As Dis-
trict Attorney, although he tried over thirty cases, he lost but three.

HON. LOUIS F. GOODSELL, of Highlands, who represents the
Twenty-third Senate District, was born January 30th, 1847. He received
his education at Tracy's (now Holbrook's) Military Academy at Ossining,

180 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

N. Y., aiiil also took a course at the business college of Pouglikeepsie,
N. Y. He commenced his business life in May, 1867, in Highland Falls,
asr a clerk. In the fall of 1SG7 he went to Omaha, Neb., returned east
in 1S69 and located in Newburgh until 1878, from thence he proceeded
to Savannah, Ga., where he resided five years. In 1885 he went to Chi-
cago and engaged in the oil business, and in Otumwa, Iowa, in the lum-
ber business. In 1867 he sold his interest in the business in both places
to his partners and returned to his native place. When only seventeen
years of age Mr. Goodsell enlisted, while at school, in Company F, 47th
New York Volunteers, and went to war. He was mustered out mth the
regiment on August 30th, 1865. He then re-entered school and grad-
uated the following May. He was a member of the Board of Education
in Highland Falls with the Hon. John Bigelow as President. He has
been elected Siipervisor ten times. Mr. Goodsell when a candidate firet
for Assembly from the first district of Orange county, in 1894, received
6,494 votes; B. M. McClung, Democrat, 3,583; and T. Caldwell, Pro-
hibitionist, 278. In 1895 he was a member of the following Assembly
committees: Insurance and Electricity, Gas and Water Supply. In

1895 Mr. Goodsell's county was re-apportioned and two strong Repub-
lican towns taken from his district and i>laced in the second, and two
strong Democratic to'wns placed in his district. His majority over Heniy
Garner, of jSTewburgh, Democrat, was 2,474. In 1895 Mr. Goodsell
received 5,835 votes and Henry Gamer 3,561. In the Assembly of

1896 Mr. Goodsell was chairman of the Committee on Commerce and
Navigation, and also a member of the committee on Electricity, Gas and
Water Supply and Public Printing. He was re-elected to the Assem-
bly of 1897 by receiving 7,332 votes to 4,177 for F. D. Tuthill, Demo-
crat. In the Assembly of 1897 he was appointed Chairman of the Com-
mittee on Electricity, Gas and Water Supply, a member of the Commit-
tee on Claims and Indians Affairs. At the election of 1897 he was a
candidate for re-election, and as such received 5,495 votes to 3,856 for
Albert S. Embler, Democrat. In the Assembly of 1898 he was chair-
man of the Committee on Electricity, Gas and W^ater Supply, and a
Member of the Committee on Claims, and Fisheries and Game. Mr.
Goodsell as the Republican candidate for Senator in 1898 received 14,-
720 votes to 12,906 for William Quaid, Democrat. As a member of
the Senate Mr. Goodsell in 1899 Avas appointed Chairman of the Com-

BIOGRAPHICAL. 181

mittce on Affairs of Villages ami a luember also of the following com-
mittees: Railroad, Miscellaneous Corporations and Public Education.
Ee-nominated in 1900, Mr. Goodsell received 18,162 votes to 14,417
cast for Henry P. Clausen, Democrat. In 1901 he became Chairman of
the important committee on Miscellaneous Corporations and a member
of the following committees: Railroads, Affairs of Villages and Trades
and Mauufacturei-s.

JOXATH^VN W. SHERWOOD, son of Elias G. Shenvood and
Elizabeth Concklin, was born in Rockland county, about four miles north
of Suffern. His boyhood was spent on his father's farm and he attended
the conunon district .school a mile and a half distant. In 1888 he grad-
uated from the Albany State l^ormal School and taught for about two
years in a private academy at Fishkill-on-Hudson. After obtaining a
State scholarship he entered Cornell University in 1890, spent two years
in the University and graduated from the Cornell Law School in 1894,
with, the degree of L. L. B. Mr. Sherwood was one of the three men
chosen to represent Cornell University in the inter-collegiate debate
Avith the University of Pennsylvania in 1894, and won several prizes in
debates at the University, one in the final debate of the Law School in
1894. He was admitted to the Bar in the Foiirth Judicial Department
at Utica, X. Y., in the fall of 1894, and has practiced law at Spring Val-
ley since that date. He was married January 26, 1898, to Anna B.
Tallmau, daughter of Peter Tallman, and has one son, Harold T. Sher-
wood. Mr. Shei-wood was elected School Commissioner of Rockland
coimty in November, 1899. The biography of the Sherwood family
api>ears on page 29, part 2.

WILLIAM MC CAULEY, who is engaged in the practice of law at
Ilaverstraw, was born in the Village of Stony Point, August 5th, 1856.
His paternal ancestors were of Scoteh-Irish origin, and his grandfather,
Daniel McCauley, was the first of the name to settle in the vicinity of
Stony Point, where he married Miss Call, a member of one of the old
families of Rockland county. William, our subject's father, was born
and always resided at Stony Point. In local matters he was active and
held a number of to\\Ti offices. His death occuiTed April 29th, 1891, at
the age of seventv-nine. The iinitlior of Mr. McCaulev was Caroline

182 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Eose, daughter of James and Sallie Dykens Eose, a prominent family
of Stony Point. The father of our subject was twice married, having by
liis first wife, who was a Miss Brooks, one child, Sarah Jane, who died
at the age of fourteen. Of his second marriage three children were
reared, namely: Sarah, Mrs. S. Alonzo Smith, a resident of Hempstead,
L. I., where her husband is engaged in the mercantile business; William
and Lewis, who died at his residence in Hempstead, L. I., in March,
1899. Upon finishing his studies in the public schools of Stony Point,
William McCauley, at the age of fourteen, entered a private school con-
ducted by Eev. E. Gay, Jr., at Benson's Corners. Later he was a stu-
dent at the Normal School at Millersville, Pa., where Prof. Edward
Brooks, fonnerly of Stony Point, was President of the institution. After
leaving the Nonnal School he entered Wesleyan University at Middle-
to-\vn, Conn., where he remained until ill health compelled him to aban-
don his collegiate course. After leaving college he taught in the pub-
lic schools of the county until in 1879, when he entered the law office of
Judge Weiant, at Haverstraw, remaining with him imtil he was admitted
to the Bar in 1882, and afterwards continuing his practice in the same
office for six years, since which time he has l>een alone. For some years
Mr. McCauley filled the position of Corporation Counsel of the village
where he resides, and in 1890 was elected on the Democratic ticket to
the office of District Attorney of Eockland county, which office he held
from January 1st, 1891, to January 1st, 1894. His practice has been
a general one and he has had charge of a number of important cases.
Mr. McCauley has erected a comfortable and commodious residence
on Hudson avenue, and here he and his wife and children make their
homo. He was united in man-iage March 14th, ISSO, ^vith Miss Ida M.,
daughter of Mai'vin and Mary (Travis) Garrison, of this city. They
have two sons, Frank W. and Harry S., aged respectively nineteen and
fourteen. Mr. McCauley and his family attend the Central Presby-
terian Church, of which Dr. Freeman was for many years pastor.
Socially he is a Mason and holds membership in Stony Point Lodge, No.
313. He is also connected with lona Lodge, No. 124, K. of P.

FRANK EESLEE CRU]\IBIE. James and Robert Crumbie or
Abercrombie came from Scotland in 1770 and located in Philadelphia.
Eobert died unmarried in 1780. James married Esther Dobbin, of Phil-

BIOGRAPHICAL,. 183

adelpliia, in May, 1775. His son Eobert was bom November 8, 1777.
James, the father, died in Philadelphia in 1779. Robert married, Octo-
ber 22, 1803, Phebe Drake, of Peekskill. They had seven children, of
whom James, the father of our subject, was the third. He was born
May 21, 1809. He married Ann Eliza Dunning, December 6, 1849.
She was bom iS^ovember 25, 1824. James Cmmbie was bom in Peeks-
kill, where his father, Eobert, conducted a newspaper. (He was the firet
newspaper publisher in Westchester county). At the early age of thii"-
teen James Cnmibie left home and began his business career in New
York city. In 1858 he purchased property in Nyack. He died in New
York city December 12, 1879. Frank Kesler Cnunbie, youngest son of
James and Ann E. Ci"unibi«, was bom in New York March 29, 1862.
He received his education in the schools of New Yoi'k, public and
private. He then engaged in biisiness for thi'ee years, after which
he entered Columbia College and graduated from the law department of
that institution in 1884 and was admitted to the Bar in 1885. He has
since practiced his profession, with offices at 35 Nassau street. October
23, 1897, he married Annie S. Towt, of Nyack, daughter of Edward and
Annie Green Towt, and gTanddaughter of John W. Towt, of Nyack.
They have two children, ]\Iarion and Frank Resler, Jr.

CHARLES SUMNER CARSCALLEN, only son of John Dul-
mage and Martha A. (Falkinburgh) Carscallen, was born in Jersey City
September 10, 18G3. He attended public and private schools in Jersey
City and in 1892 entered West Point Military Academy, having that
year in the competitive examination earned off the appointment over
twenty other competitors. After two years in this institution he resigned
to enter business with his father. Mr. Carscallen is now a member of
the Jersey City IMilling Coi-poration and of the Pavonia Mills and Ele-
vator Co., also an incorporated company. He is a member of the firm of
Carscallen & Cassidy, wholesale dealers in hay and grain, and members
of the Produce Exchangee, and he is also a director in the Fifth Ward
Savings Bank of Jersey City, N. J. In Nyack, where Mr. Carscallen
has his summer home, be is Secretaiy of the Country Club. In 1894
Mr. Carscallen was married to Miss ^larie Louise Louderbaek, a daugh-
ter of David and IMarie Louise Lauderback, a descendant of an old Hol-
land Dutch family in New York of Revolutionary antecedents. Their

184 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

family consists of an only son, Jolm Dnlmage Carscallen 2nd, born
IN'ovember 12, 1897. Mr. Carscallen's descent is traced to John Cars-
callen, an English army officer who settled in Kew York prior to the
Revolution, and who, not being in sympathy with the popular ca\ise,
removed with his family to Canada. There the Carscallen family
resided until 1850, when our subject's father, Jolm D. Carscallen,
returned and established a business in Jersey City. lie also occupied
the residence now owned and occiipied by Charles S., in !Nyack, as a
summer home.

THE ECKERSOX FAMILY, of Clarksto^vn, is best represented
at tliis period by Peter Q. Eckerson, a New York attorney of promi-
nence. Thomas Eckerson, the great grandfather of P. Q. Eckerson,
liA'ed near Spring Valley on what is now known as the Lovatt farm.
He also owned the Smith place adjoining and was a well to do fanner
and a man of considerable force of character. He had two sons, Thomas
ami Luke Eckerson. Luke was the father of Abraham L. Eckerson,
vdio died in Spring Valley November 1, 1890. Abraham L. Eckerson
was engaged in fanning and for a innnber of years lived in Seneca
county, N. Y., but returned to Rockland county to reside prior to his
death. Abraham L. Eckerson was a man of sterling character and was
^\'ido]y known and esteemed. He was the father of P. Q. Eckerson,
who was born at Clarks^'ille November 19, 1839, and who graduated
from Hamilton College, class of 'G3. Mr. Eckerson after gTaduating
began the study of law in the office of A. P. Lanning, of Buffalo, and
was admitted to the Bar- in New York city in 1865, and began the prac-
tice of his profession in New York, where he has since most successfully
conducted it. He has his summer home at Spring Valley, in this county.
Mr. Eckerson was man-ied to Pauline A. Smith. His childi-cn are:
Frank L. Eckerson, born in October, 18C8; Pauline May Eckerson,
born May 21, 1887, and DeWint Eckerson, bom December 19, 1889.
I'rank L., the eldest, graduated from the College of the City of New
York and from the Columbia College Law School, and was admit-
ted to the Bar in 1891. He was a yoimg man of brilliant attain-
ments and became prominent in political circles. He was elected
President of the Harlem Democratic Club, and just at the begin-
ning of his successful career was most unfortunately stricken by death,

BIOGRAPHICAL. 185

in October, 1901, to the great gi-ief of his parents and a very wde circle
cf friends and followers. Major John Smith, a major in the Revolu-
tionary Army, the great grandfather of P. Q. Eckcrson, was granted his
commission as major by Governor Clinton. This commission is still in
a good state of preservation and is in the possession of the family; also
his original waiTant as Tax Collector for the Precinct of Haverstraw,
dated October 3, 1787, issued to him by W. Thompson, David Pye and
M. Hogenkamp. He also left other important docimients. The major
was one of the prominent men of his day. He took great int<^rest in
the Dutch Refonned Church at Clarksville, in which he was Reader,
Chorister and bell ringer, then considered the most honorable office in
the church and next in importance to the minister. He lived to a ripe
old age and died January 12, 1833, aged eighty-nine years, three
months and four days. The major is buried at Clarksville, where an old
red sandstone can be seen still in a fair state of preseiwation which marks
his grave. The old stone house in which he lived prior to and during
the Revolutionary War is still standing in a good state of preseiwation,
a little northwest of the German Church, at the turn in the road leading
from Clarksville to Xew City.

THOMAS H. LEE. On the 9th of July, 1785, from Londonderry,
Ireland, sailed the ship "Faithful Steward," 350 tons, loaded to the
gunwales with the earthly pos.sessions of some three hundred and sixty
emigrants from the north of Ireand, who were aboard. The objective
point of the voyage was Philadelphia, in the new world. Among tho.so
aboard was a considerable number — some eighty souls of the Lee family
— compi-ising men, women and childi'«n, fathci-s and mothci-s, hus-
bands and wives, brothers and sisters, all resolved on entering upon a
new life of usefulness and labor in what is now southern and .soutli-
western Pennsylvania. Near the close of August the ship was wrecked
in Cajje nenloi>en and of the large number aboard but sixty-nine per-
sons— sixty-two males and seven females — were saved from a watery
grave. Among those who siirvived was James Lee, then a young man
of twenty-six. He was the only male of the Lee family to get safely
to shore. He afterwards settled in Washington coimty, Pennsylvania,
and became the progenitor of the now numerous family of Lees in west-
ern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. One of his sons was Hon. Thomas

186 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Lee, of Cadiz, Ohio, at one time Circuit Judge of the Eastern District
of that State, wlio was the father of Eev. James Boscawen I^e, the
father of Thomas Lee, the subject of the present sketch. Thomas H.
Lee was born May 13, 1S62, in Bovina, Dehaware coimty, N. Y., his
mother being Jane Isabella, daughter of Duncan Campbell, of Fonda,
Montgomery county, X. Y. He received the advantages of a good com-
mon school education, afterwards preparing for college at Andre's Col-
legiate Institute. He selected as his alma mater Hamilton College, at
Clinton, Oneida county, K. Y., from which institution he was graduated
in the year 1883. He then, throiigh the infliience of Hon. William
MuiToy, then Supreme Court Justice, procured a clerkship in the law
ofHce of Chapman & Lyon, Binghamton, N. Y., and began the study of
law. When about to be admitted to the Bar, in the year 1886, Mr.
Lee accepted a position in the New York Customs House, where he
served for nearly three years, or imtil shortly after the inauguration of
President Harrison, when he resigned and entered upon the practice of
his profession in New York city, he having while still in the customs
house, passed the necessary examination for admission to the bar. Mr.
Lee continued in practice in New York city until the year 1895, when
Itockland county practice proving inviting, he opened an office in the
Village of Ilaverstraw, where he is now located. Mr. Lee man-ied,
March 11, 1891, Hannah Brewster, daughter of Rev. James J. Mc-
Malion, then pastor of the First Prasbyt^'rian Church, in Haverstraw,
and shortly after marriage removed to Stony Point, where he ha.s since
resided. In politics Mr. Lee is a Democrat. His political activity and
zeal have led to his preferment for many places of profit and responsi-
bility among his fellow citizens. He served as Clerk of the Board of
Supervisors in Broome county during his law clerkship in Binghamton,
and for services rendered during the first Cleveland campaign on the
stiunp and at headquarters received his appointment in the customs house
as law clerk to the LT. S. General Appraiser. He cpiickly on taking up
his residence in Rockland county identified himself with the Demo-
cratic organization and was frequently prominently mentioned as a
candidate for office. Not, however, until the year 1899 would he
accept any elective office, when he was selected as the nominee for the
office of District Attorney, and although a resident of the county for so
short a time comparatively, was elected by a handsome majority. When

BIOGRAPHICAL. 187

Mr. Lee took up his residence in Stony Point he found the educational de-
mands of the inhabitants, especially in the village districts, but meagrely
supplied — the school building being an old and ramshackle affair.
Largely tlirough his instrumentality and leadership, a movement that
had been slumbering for some years for improved conditions became
chrystalized, and tlic handsome school building of District No. 2 — sec-
ond to none in the county — was erected in the year 1S9G. Mr. Lee has
been one of the members of the Board of Education for the past eight
years, and with the exception of one year during that time, the President
of the Board. Mr. Lee is a member of the Presbyterian Church at
Stony Point. His family consists of two interesting children: Thomas
Hamilton, Jr., aged ten, and Eugenia, aged five. Mr. Tx>e is a meml)er
of the New York State Bar Association, tlie Theta Delta Chi College
Fraternity and Stony Point Lodge, No. 313, F.,and A. M.

HON. CLARENCE LEXOW is of German parentage. His father,
Rudolph Lexow, came from Schleswig-Holstein to the United States upon
the defeat of the Revolutionaiy movement of 1848, when he and a
number of those who had been prominent in espousing the cause of the
people against absolutism, were forced into exile. Clarence Lexow was
born in Brooklyn, September 16, 1852, and wlien still a child his father
acquired a home at Nanuet, where the family resided for over thirty
years. After attending the public school in Clarksto\vn and the Ger-
man-American Collegiate Listitute in Brooklyn, he finished his academic
couri=e in the Gennan universities of Bonn and Leipsic, and finally i"
1874 received the degree of L. L. B. of Columbia College. Lumediately
upon gTaduation he established the law finn of Lexow &. Ilaldane,
and is now the senior member of the firm of Lexow, Mackellar, Guy &
Wells, with law offices at No. 43 Cedar street, in the city of New York.
In 1881 he married and established his home in South Nyack, in this
county, where he has ever since resided. In 1886 he became Chairman
of the Republican County Committee. In 1887, against his strong jn-o-
test, he was nominated candidate for Coimty Judge against the late
George W. Weiant, but was defeated. In 1890 he received tlie Con-
gressional nomination in the tidal wave campaign of that year, and
although defeated, this county was the only one in the State that showed
a Republican gain. In 1892 he was chosen delegate to the National

188 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Convention at Minneapolis, and in 1893 he was nominated State Sen-
ator in the Sixteenth District, then composed of Duchess, Orange and
Rockland counties, nonually Democratic, but was elected by a large
majority, receiving a majority of the votes cast in each of the three
counties. This campaign marked a radical change in the political com-
plexion of both the Senatorial and the Congressional District, which
while theretofore Democratic then became and has since remained
overwhelmingly Republican. Senator Lexow took the oath of office
on the first of January, 1894, and within a week introdiiced the resolu-
tion which brought about an investigation into the municipal affairs
of the city of Xew York. He was Chaii-man of the committee, and the
burden of the inquiry devolved upon him. The investigation began
in April, lasted with few intermissions until the end of the year, and was
.CO searching and uncompromising that it became historic, and added
a new phrase, "To Lexow," to our vocabulary. The astounding disclos-
ures of official coiTuption then brought to light gained a world-wide
j)ublicity and ciilrainated in a political upheaval which resulted in the
election of a non-partisan Mayor of the city of New York, a Republican
Governor of the State and an overwhelming majority in both branches
of the Legislature. These revelations resulted in a movement to secure
the principle of non-partisanship in municipal affairs, which led to the
sTibscqTient overthrow of Tammany Hall in the campaign of 1894 and
again in that of 1901. On the re-convening of the Senate in 1895, he
presented the report and proceedings of the "Lexow Committee," accom-
]ianicd by a number of important measures refonning the police and
ci'iminal law administrations in the city of New York, which were en-
acted into law. In the autumn of that year he was chosen permanent
Chairman of the Republican State Convention, and his address on that
occasion was pronoimced by many of the leading newspapers to be one
of the most scholarly speeches ever delivered in a State Convention in
this State. In the November elections of that year he was re-nominated
and re-elected State Senator by an increased majority in the present
Twenty-third Senatorial District, composed of Orange and Rockland
counties. On the re-convening of the Senate in 1896 he was selected
Chaii-man of the Jiidiciary Committee, the most important and influ-
ential committee of that body. He then introduced and advocated the
jiassage of the bill creating the "Greater New York," and secured the

BIOGRAPHICAL. 189

appointment of a special committee, of which he was choscui Chainnan,
to investigate the propriety of miiiiicipal consolidation. On the con-
clusion of the inquiry he drafted and suhniitted a report recommending
the passage of the consolidation bill and creating a commission to pre-
pare a charter. His recommendations were adopted and the second
largest city in the universe was thereby created, and a resolution passed
empowering Senator Lexow's committee to act as an auxiliary to the
Charter Commission. In 1897 Senator Lexow introduced a resolution
creating a joint legislative committee empowered to investigate "tiiists"
and unlawful combinations and to recommend remedial laws. As a
result of the inve>stigation, which he then personally conducted, he
drafted and presented a report, accompanied by bills, radically changing
and extending the anti-trust laws, and these were passed by a large
majority and are the statutes which are now in force on that subject.
In the season of 1898 primary election i-eform was the conspicuous pub-
lic issue. Many conflicting bills were introduced. Senator Lexow was
chosen by his colleagnes in the Legislature to undertake the task of har-
monizing these and presenting a scheme of legislation that would be
practical, complete and satisfactory, and after many weeks of confer-
ence and discussion, he finally framed and introduced a bill providing
for a system of primary elections refonn that received the remarkable
endorsement of a unanimous vote of both branches of the Legislature.
These are only a few of the more conspicuous measures with which Sen-
ator Lexow was identified. In addition to these, the Compulsory Edu-
cation Law, the revision of the School Laws, of the Labor Laws, of the
Village Law and iumimerable other measures of the first public magni-
tude, were the results of his labors, while in all matters of general legis-
lation he was the actual leader of the Repiiblican majority on the floor
of the Senate. While engaged in promoting measures which concerned
the people of the entire State, he succeeded in securing the passage of
all bills in which his constituency were more particularly interested.
Among the many measures of a local character which he introduced and
which were enacted into law, was that providing for the acquisition of
the Stony Point battlefield (the dedication of which has recently been
celebrated with great pomp) and appropriating $25,000 therefor; that
providing for an appropriation of $5,000 to open a sluice-way through
the long pier at Pierniont; that assuming on the part of the State the

190 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

care and maintenance of the draw-bridge over the Miunesceongo Creek,
relieving the town of Stony Point of an annual expenditure of $1,000;
that pro\'iding for the appointment of a commission for the preserva-
tion of the Palisades, which has ripened into the acquisition by the
State of the Palisades frontage, and promises to be the most important
improvement in the histoiy of the county; that changing the date of
town elections to November and providing that they shall be biennial;
that preventing the closing of the highway leading to Eockland Lake, so
that the latter shall always remain accessible to the public, and many
others of lesser importance. At the end of his second tenn, in 1898,
the Senator declined a unanimous re-nomination and the presidency
pro tem of the Senate, his private and professional affairs, which had
been neglected by close attention to his public duties, making this
decision necessary.

ALONZO WHEELER. There are few professions that present as
great opportunities for advancing the welfare of mankind as does that
of the law, and he who enters it finds before him countless avenues for
the exercise of his talents in the service of his fellow men. Many, disre-
garding these opportunities, labor for self aggrandizement. Such, how-
ever, has not been the case with the subject of this sketch, whose public
spirited labors have earned for him the confidence of the people and have
gained for him a prominent place among the attorneys of Rockland
county.

Mr. Wheeler was born in the village of Xyack in this county, April
29th, 1844. His father, Aaron E. Wheeler, was for many years a steam-
boat eng-ineer, employed upon the Hudson river, and for a long periotl
had in charge one of the swiftest steamers plying between New York and
Albany. He aftenvards became chief engineer and master mechanic in
a svigar refinery at Hastings, Westchester coimty, New York, where he
died at the age of sixty-nine. He was a thorough musician and possessed
a rich, tenor voice, and was for many years leader of the choir of the
Nyack Reformed Church. He was active in the work of the church
and Sunday school. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Eliza Tay-
lor, was born in the to^^Ti of Clarkstown, in this county, and died at Hast-
ings several years after the death of her husband.

BIOGRAPHICAL. 191

From youth ilr. M'lieeler's ambition was to enter the legal profes-
sion, and he availed liimself of every means for the accomplishment of
that pui-pose, often under the most discouraging circumstances. For a
time he was student in the office of VanVorst & Beardsley, at the cor-
ner of Broadway and Pine street, in the city of New York, and after-
wards pursued his studies with Marcena M. Dickinson, of Nyack, from
whose office he was admitted to the Bar in December, 1868. He soon
thereafter entered into a partnership with Mr. Dickinson at Nyack,
imder the firm name of Dickinson & Wheeler. In 1870 this partner-
ship was dissolved and ilr. Wheeler began practice in Havci-straw on
the second day of March in that year. He soon succeeded in establishing
a fair practice, which afterwards developed into a large and important
business, and at this \\Titing ^Ir. Wheeler ranks among the busiest and
most influential lawyers of Kockland county.

In 1875 he formed a partnership with Mr. Irving Brown, which con-
tinued until the year 1883, from which time to the present both Mr.
Wheeler and Mr. Brown have been engaged in a separate and continuous
practice in Haverstraw.

In the years 1880 and 1881, during the last illness of Judge Suffcm,
and down to the time of his death, he was constituted the Surrogate of
Eockland by appointment of the General Term of the Supreme Court.

In 1878 Mr. Wheeler annoiinced himself as an independent candi-
date for District Attorney, and at the Republican County Convention
held soon after he received the endorsement of that party, and was
elected over the Democratic candidate by a majority of nine hundred
and seventy-five. At the expiration of the term to which he was thus
elected he was presented for re-election as a strictly independent candi-
date, and was elected with a majority of seven hundred and fifty over
his Democratic opponent and a majority of fifteen hundred over the
Republican candidate.

In 1896 he received the Republican nomination for the same office
and was elected and served until December, 1898, when he resigned the
District Attorneyship and accepted the County Judgeship, to which he
was appointed by Governor Black.

As District Attorney he tried several indictments for homicide and
succeeded in obtaining convictions in eighty per cent of all cnninal cases
tried. He has for many yeai-s been one of the counsel for the village of

192 HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.

Haverstraw. Upon the organization of the Rockland County Bar Asso-
ciation, lie was chosen its first President.

Mr. AVheelcr has recently been selected by Governor Odell as one of
a committee of fifteen appointed by authority of an act of the Legisla-
tnro, to ''examine into the condition of the statutes and laws of the State."
Chief Justice Alton B. Parker, of the Court of Appeals, is the Chainnau
of this committee.

In the very interesting ceremonies held at Stony Point on the six-
teenth of July last, in which the Point was fonnally dedicated and set
apart as a State reservation and turned over by Governor Odell to the
Kational Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, as its custodian, Mr.
Wheeler was selected by the committee in charge to deliver the address
of welcome to the assembled thousands.

Mr. AVheeler is prominent as a member of the Order of Free and
Accepted Masons and in the years 1876, 1877 and 1901 was Master of
Stony Point Lodge, jSTo. 313, located at Haverstraw.

On the 9th day of May, 1876, Mr. Wheeler married Miss Mary S.
AViles, daugliter of William H. Wiles, formerly a member of the firm
of A. M. & W. H. Wiles, manufacturers of general machineiy at Grassy
Point, N. Y. There are three children of this marriage, viz.: Jcanie
Suffem, Jessie Louise and Ethel May Wheeler. jMr. Wlieeler and his
family are all members of the Central Presbyterian Church of Haver-
straw, of which he has for many years been a nding elder, and an active
worker in the Sunday school.

INDEX.

Adler, Louis, 113, Part II.

Morris, 92, Part II.
Allen, Dr. Stephen, 197, Part I.
Allison, Brewster J., 23, Part II.

portrait of, 570, Part I.

family, 23, Part II.

George S., 24, Part II.

Georg-e S., Sr., 240, Part I., and
23, Part II.
Andre, Major John, jjortrait of, 114,
Part I.

landing place, map of, 15S, Part I.

landing place, view of, 72, Part I.

monument, view of, 30, Part 1.

room in Treason House, 108, Part
I.
Antioch, 567, Part I.
Armstrong, Robert Kyle, 72, Part II.
Auryansen, Cornelius. 2, Part II.

"portrait of, 3S4, Part I.
.\ustin. Dr. C. H., 196, Part I.

Dr. Caleb H., 212, Part I.
Ayres, Samuel, 34, Part II.

Babcoek family, 147, Part II.

.John W., I'OS, Part II.
Baer, Meyer, 72, Part II.
Baldwin, Truman H., 252, Part I.
Bannister, William H., 240, Part I.
Banta, Oscar D., 75, Part II.
Bardin, Geoi'ge, 50, Part II.

George, Jr., 119, Part II.
Bardon, Charles. 06. Part II.

Henry, 26, Part II.

portrait of, 466, Part I.
Bardonia. village of, 467, Part I.
Barrett, William P., 142, Part II.
Basse, August, 157, Part I.
Bayley, Dr. Norman B.. 219, Part 1.

' portrait of, 194, Part I.
Beckermann. J. Diedrich, 100, Part II.
Bench and Bar of Kockland county,

229, Part I.
Blakslee, W. E., 107, Part II.

Blanchard, Samuel, SO, Part 11.

Warren, 107, Part II.
Blauvelt family, 15, Part II.

George A., 246, Part I.

Dr. Garret F., 215, Part I.

John D., 17, Part II.
portrait of, 358, Part I.

Village of, 352, Part I.
Boecher, Louis, 115, Part II.
Bogert, Albert G., 53, Part II.

Dr. Albert O., 217, Part I. and 49,
Part II.

family, 45, Part II.

Dr. Sylvester S., 221, Part I. and
48, Part II.
Booth, Fred, 71, Part 11.
Boyd, Dr. H. W., 58, Part II.
Brickmaking, History of, 3U7, Part 1.
P.ristor, George R., 253, Part I.
Brophy, Patrick, 71. Part II.
Brown, Irving, 249, Part I.
Burns, A. S., Jr., 118, Part II.
Burr, Stephen H., 45, Part II.

William S., 157, Part II.

Carson, Albert J., 109, Part II.
Carter, Dr. Samuel S., 220, Part I.,

and 88, Part 11.
Casse, Col. Alfred J., 161, Part II.
Catholic Church, The Roman, 266,

Part I.
Centenary, Village of, 467, Part I.
Central Nyack, village of, 405, Part 1.
Chambre.'Dr. Herbert B., 194, Part 1.
Chapman, Charles A., 159, Part II.
Christie, J. Elmer, 252, Part I.
Clark, Alfred V. H., 43, Part II.
Clarkstown, assessment roll of 1787,
421, Part I.

Census of, 431, Part I.

Churches, 432, Part I.

Civil War veterans. 419, Part I.

town of, 415, I'art I.

town officers, 430, Part I.

witchcraft, 444, Part I.

INDEX.

Coe, Dr. Jesse, 188. Part I.
Cole, John I., 340, Part I.

Seth B., 236, Part I.
Collig-non, Albert S., 70, Part II.
Comesky, Frank, 254, Part I and
178, Part II.

James E., 144, Part II.
Cong-ers, villag-e of, 448, Part I.
Cornelison, Dr. Abram, 188, Part I.

Dr. Abr.am DeB., 188, Part I.
Conch, Dr. Louis B., 220, Part I.
County officers, 174, Part I.
Courtney. Howard S., 68, Part II.
Crawford, Garret H., 252, Part I.
Creelman, Adam, 103, Part II.
Crosby. Dr. J. Howard, 220, Part i

and OS, Part II.
Crumble, Frank R., 250, Part I., and
182, Part II.

Dater, Abram. 103, Part II.
Davidson, Dr. Benjamin, 214, Pa,rt I

James A., 155, Part II. . ••- '

portrait of, 510, Part I.

Robert J., 33, Part II.
Davis, Dr. Virginia M., 225, Part I.
DeBaun, Harvey, 256, Part I.

M. Watson,"58, Part II.

Stephen J., 82, Part II.

Watson E., 104, Part II.
DeBevoise, Peter, 113, Part II.
Demarest, Abram A., 245, Part I

Frank P., 245, Part I.

Di-. John, 200, Part I.

Dr. Sylvester. 217, Part I.
Deming-, M. P., 129. Part II.
DeNoyelles. Daniel, 101, Part 11.

family, 100, Part II.

Joseph, 101, Part II.

Theodore, 102, Part II.
Dental Profession, 237, Part I.
Dexter, Talbot Chambers, 62, Part II.
Dickenson, Marcena M., 241, Part 1.
Diller, Louis, 72, Part II.
Ding-man, Dr. James A., 218, Part I.
Dolph, Dr. Benjamin V., 217, Part I.,

and 132, Part II.
Doodletown, 5G6, Part I.
Drandt, \Villiam H., 76, Part II.
Dusenbury, Dr. William, 188, Part I.
Dutch factory. The, 468, Part I.
Dutcher, Arthur W., 81, Part II.

Eberling, Charles, 134, Part II.
Eckerson family, 184, Part 11.

P. Q., 255, Part I., and 184, Part II.

Eckstein, Louis, S3, Part II.
Elsworth, Harry E., 79, Part II
Ernst, Henry, 14, Part II.
John M., 13, Part II.
Eslinger, George, 75, Part 11.

Fallon, Andrew, 243, Part 1.

Andrew X., 2:!9, Part I.
Felter family, 8, Part II.

Frank p", 10, Part II.

George C, 10, Part II.

Hon. John W., 9, Part II.

Josiah, 0, Part II.

Dr. Robert R., 220, Part I and
96, Part II.
Fenton, Robert H., portrait of, 414

Part I.
Ferdon, Hon. John W., 242, Part I.
Finch, William M., 52, Part II.
Finegan, Hon. Thomas, 63, Part II.
Port Putnam, View of, 84, Part I.
Fowler, Denton, Jr., 60, Part II.
Freeman, George, 104, Part II.
Frost, Benaiah Y., 156, Part II.
Pulton, William A., 83, Part II.
Purman, John W., 355, Part I., and
171, Part II.

portrait of, 304^art I.

Gagan, Thomas, 252, Part I.
Gardiner, Thomas, 131, Part II.
Garrison, Dr. Nelson A., 190, Part I

Dr. N. A., Jr., 190, Part I.
Gates, George, 95, Part II.
Gesner family, 10, Part II.

John M.,'l3, Part II.

Rev. Oscar, 12, Part II.
Gibbs, John M., 139, Part II.
Gilchrest, Dr. Harvey C, 44, Part 11.
Giles, Dr. J. William, 231, Part I.
Gillette, Dr. John M., 230, Part I.
Gillies, John W., los. Part II.
Goodsell, Hon. Louis P., 179, Part 11.
Goetchius, :-'amuel, 233, Part I.
Gondeck, Max, 66, Part II.
Govan, Dr. William, 189, Part L
Gowdey, William E., 351, Part I.
Grady, James J.. 38, Part II.
Grand View, Village of, 359, Part I.
Grassy Point, Village of, 564, Part I.
Gregory, James Curtis, 52, Part II.
Gurnee, Harry M., 163, Part II.

Hahn, Henry, (24, Part II.

portra'it of, 323, Part I.
Haley, John J., 80, Part II.
Hammond, Dr. Gerard B., 199, Part I.

INDEX.

Hargraves, Hart B., 130, Part II.
Ilaring' Family, 165, Part II.

George E., 103, Part II.

Dr. Isaac C, 201, Part I.

John C, 167, Part 11.

Ulysses G., 127, Part II.
Harper, Dr. Gertrude Hammond, 321,

Part I., and 136, Part II.
Harris, Frank S., 356, Part I and 177,

Part II.
Harrison, John W., 68, Part II.
Hasbronck, Dr. Frank, 207, Part I.

Dr. John JIabie, 219, Part I and
27, Part II.

portrait of, 218, Part I.

Dr. Moses Cantine, 208, Part I.
Haverstraw, Chronological table, 341,
Part I.

Chnrches, 319, Part I.

Club, 341, Part I.

Electric Light, 304, Part I.

in Civil War, 290, Part I.

public library, 318, Part I.

jniblic schools, 312, Part I.

societies, 339, Part I.

town of, 273, Part I.

water sujiply, 300, Part I. /

Hazard, Joshua "f., 43, Part II.
Hedges, Gen. Ira M., 149, Part II.
portrait of, 274, Part I.

Ira M., Jr., 67, Part II.
Heidgerd, Diedrich A., 84, Part II.
Heitlinger, John, 131, Part II.
Hempstead, ^'illage of, 551, Part I.
Heyenga, William, 117, Part II.
Hicks, H. A., 74, Part II.
Hill, Elias V., 241, Part I.

family, 147, Part II.

George Wm., 28, Part II.

John Henry, 29, Part II.

Thomas C, 147, Part II.
Hillburn, village of, 534, Part I.
Hillenbrand, Adam, 69, Part II.
Hirschfeld, Harry, 120, Part II.
Hoffman, Cornelius P., 244, Part I.
Hook Jlountain, view of, 28, Part I.
Hopper, C. Irving, 5i, Part II.

Irving, 255, Part I and 177, Part II.
House family, 22, Part II.

Dr. Henry Hasbrouck, 195, Part I.

Dr. William S., 193, Part I.
Hudson River, view of, from West

Point. 63. Part I.
Hunt, William H., 168, Part II.
Hutton. William, Jr., 42, Part II.

lona Island, 566, Part I.

Isham, Dr. Lucias D., 213, Part I.

Johnson. Erastus, 95, Part II.
Jones Point, Village of, 565, Part I.
Journalism, History of, 257, Part I.

Keller, Dr. William H., 217, Part I.
Kilby, .lames, 164, Part II.
King-, Richard E., 124, Part II.
King's Ferrj-, View of. 50, I'art I.
Kipp family, 1, Part II.

Wesley A., 2, i-art II.
Klein, Charles A., 129, Part II.
Kliethernes, Richard, 116, Part II.
Kline, Dr. Charles D., 315, Part I., and

98, Part II.
Knapp, George E., 82, Part II.

Hiram, 18, Part II.

portrait of, 524, Part I.

Ladentown, Village of, 552, Part I.
Laird, Dr. Eugene B., 220, Part I., and

97, Part IL
Lake, Dr. Daniel, 300, Part I.
Lansing, Dr. Elmer E., 313, Part I.
Laphani, Dr. 214, Part I.
Lawrence, Thomas, 241, Part I.
Lediger, Louis .!., 38, Part II.
Lee, Dr., 314, Part I.

James A., 74, Part II.

Thomas H., 355, Part I., and 185,

Part II.
jjortrait of, 556, Part I.
Leitner, Dr. George A., 314, Part 1.,

and 88, Part II.
Levison, Benjamin, 251, Part I.
Lexow, Hon. Clarence, 254, Part I.,
and 187, Part II.

portrait of, 354, Part I.

Rudolph, 163, Part II.
Lindemann, I. C, IIS, Part II.
Lockwood, Dr. G. A., 313, Pan, \.
Lovatt, E. T., 251, Part I.
Lydecker, Edwin, 40, Part II.
Lynch, Patrick J., 139, Part II.

Magee, John, 50, Part II.
Maguire, Terrence, 35, Part II.
ilarkham. Prof. L. O., 172, Part II.

portrait of, 314, Part I.
Marks, Richard Brewster, 136, I'art

II.
Marnett, Gustave, 93, Part II.
Masten, Dr. Charles IL, 211, Part I.

portrait of, 310, Part I.
Maynard, Dr. Edward H., 215, Part I.
Maze, Abraham, 69, I'art II.

INDEX.

McCaiiley, William, 254, Part I., and
ISl, Tart II.

portrait of, 294, Part I.
Jlc'Connell, David H., 170, Part II.
McCready. Robert W., 34, Part II.
McElroy, Charles, 90, Part II.
McFarlane, John F., 249, Part I.

portrait of, 374, Part I.
McGowan, T. ,J., 128, Part II.
McQuaide, James P., 154, Part II.
Mead. Charles H., 104, Part ll.
Medical Profession, 182, Part I.

Societies, 221 and 223, Part I.
Merritt, Stephen. 168, Part II.
Mit.sch, George W., Go, Part II.
Moifatt, Benjamin, Jr., 43, Part II.
Monsej% Village of, 547, Part I.
Morrissey, James, 70, l>art II.
Mosestown, 468, Part I.
Mnrsick, Dr. Georg-e A.. 203, Part I.
Myers, Cyrillus, 252, Part i.

Nannet, Yillag-e of, 446. Part I.
New City, Yillag-e of, 461. Part 1.
New York ililitary Academy, 73, Part

II.
Nyack P.anks, 369, Part I.

Board of Trade. ..ii4. Part I.

Building' and Loan. 37:!, I'art I.

Churches. 404, Part I.

Electricity, 374, Part I.

Fire Department, 384, Part I.

(ias Companies, 373, Part I.

Hospital, 370, Part I.

Industries, 359, Part I.

Military Academy, 129, Part II.

Jlissioiiary Institnte, 382. Part I.

Musical organizations, 368, ^ art I.

Post Office. 365, Part I.

Public Library, 375, Part I.

Schools, 376, Part I.

Sewer systems, 378, Part I.

Societies, 367, Part I.

Trolley schemes, 379, Part I.
• Yillage of, 356, Part I.

Water AVorks. 389, Part I.

Y. M. C. A.. 384, Part I.

Oak Hill Cemetery, 390. Part I.
Oberle Aloyse, 110, Part II.
O'Blenis. Bernard. 234, Part I.
Odell, G. T., 128, Part II.

lUitledge, I., 40, Part II,
O'Keeffe, I!ev. C. G., 138. Part II.
Oldfield. John. 41, Part II.
Orang-eburg-, Yillage of, 355, Part I.

Orangetown Cemeteries, 390, I'art I.

in Civil War, 393, Part I.

in Spanish War, 395, Part I.

Protestant chiirches, 398, Part I.

telephone, 392, Part I.

town of, 345, Part I.

villages of. 350, Part I.
Orangeville, Yillage of, 355, Part I.
Osborn, Dr. James. 187. Part I.

Dr. Richard, 187, Part I.
Outwater, Dr. Jacob, 188, Part I.
Overton, C. E., 104, Part II.
Owen, Dr. Reuben H., 195, Part I.

Pagett, Dr. Frank E., 218, Part I., and

89, Part II.
Palisades, Yillage of, 354, Part I.
Palmer, J'rank B., 84, Part II.
Partridge, Mrs. JIary G., 119, Part II,
Pearl River, Yillage of, 355, Part I.
Penny, Fred W„ 251, Part I.
Perdue, Dr. John, 193, Part I.
Perrj', Eugene F., 174, Part II.
Pierson family. 4, Part II.

Jeremiah H., portrait of, 482,
Part I.

Henry L., portrait of, 488, Part I.
Pinckney, Orient C, 130, Part II.
Pitkin, Frederick E., 169, Part 11.
Polhemus, Dr. Jacob O., 214, Part I.
Post, Charles E., 25, Part II.

portrait of. 530, Part I.
Prall. Horatio G.. 234. Part I.
Pratt, Dr. ilark, 189, Part I.
Purdv. William T., 133. Part II.
Pye, Edward, 235, Part I.

Quaspec, 468, Part I.

Ramapo, Educational, 517. Part I.

Erie Railroad, 513, Part I.

Harris Patent, 476, Part I,

in the Rebellion, 531, Part I.

in the Revolution, 486, Part I.

Land titles, 472, Part I.

Jlails in 1810, 522, Part I.

ilinerals, 530, Part I.

Muller patent, 476, Part I.

Provost patent, 475, Part I.

River and streams, 515, Part I.

Roads, 507, Part I,

Spence tract, 477, Part I.

Town of. 470, Part I.

Yillage nf, 519. Part I.
Randolph, William J., 7, i'art II.

portrait of. 364, Part I.
Reeves, Dr. Daniel L., 199, Part I.

INDEX.

Keqii.-i, Glode, 20, Part II.

portrait of, 518, Part I.
liiohman, (ins. A., 157. Part il.
Jvieber, .Toseph. 113. Part II.
Jiifig's. lieubeii G., 41. I'art II.
Jiipley, Edward C, 80, Part II.
Kockiand Cemetery, 392, Part I.

County IJangers, 419, Part I.

Lake, View of, 40. Part I.

Lake, Village of, 456, Part I.
Ivose, Alexander, 55. Part II. \^

Ezekiel ()., 158, I'art IL

Saarosy, George, 93, Part II.
Sansom. Dr. .John W., 216. Part I.
Schmidt. .l<ihn C. T., 242. Part I.
.Schneider & Xoe, 75, Part II.
Sehoentield. Henrv. 144. Part II.
Scott, (k-orge W.,"ll6, Part II.
Searing. Walter T., 38, Part II.
Sengstacken, Kdwin J., 113, Part II.

Dr. .Tohn, 218, Part I., and 90. Part
II.
Serven, William A., 126, Part II.
Seventy-six House, Tappan, View of,

146, i'art I.
Shaw, P.. F.. 66. Part 11.
Sherman. Daniel D.. 255, Part I., and
176. Part II.

George W., 114. Part II.
Sherwood. Esler. 140, Part II.

family, 29, Part II.

.Tames E., 32, Part II.

Jonathan W., 256, Part I., and

ISl, Part II.

])ortrait of, 550, Part I.
Sherwoodville. Village of. 553. Part I.
Sloat. Dr. Stephen. 196, Part I.

William L.. 78, Part II.
Sloatsburgh, Village of, 525, Part I.
Slawson, Dr. .Tohn C, 216, Part I.
Smith, Alfred, 131. Part II.

Charles. .Tr.. 145, Part II.

David .T.. 110, Part II.

Gerrit, 250, Part I., and 175. Part
II.

.Tohn P., 57, Part II.

.Tohn T., 241, Part I.

.Foshua Hett, portrait of, 124,
Part I.

itajor .Tohn. 442. Part I.

Dr.' T. P.lanch, 203. Part I.

William Alexander, 164. Part II.

W'. Parker. 49. Part IT.
Snedeker's Landing. 469, Part I.
Snider, Garret Z., 341, Part I.

Snow, Fred W., 64, Part II.

William W., 14, Part IT.
portrait of, 503, Part I.

Sparkill, \ illage of, 390, Part I.
Springsteen, Truxton W., 148, Part II.

Willam H., 135, Part II.
portrait of. 354, Part I.
Spring Valley, Village of, 548, Part I.
Stalford, Charles M., 351, T'art I.
Stephens, Dr. .1. J., 200, Part I.
Sterlington, Village of, 530, Part 1.
Stevenson, Dr. W. G., 205, Part I.
Stewart. William .1., 93, Part II.
Storms family, 65, Part II.

William TenBroeck, 246, Part I.
Stony Point, Battlefield, dedicating
of, 575, Part I.

Civic, list, 577, Part I.

Churches, 570 and 577, Part I.

Early land titles. 550. Part I.

Fire District, 573, Part I.

highways. 560, Part I.

industries, 568, I'art I.

town of, 553, I'art I.

village of, 562, I'art I.

Wayne Hose Co., 574, Part I.
Strawtown, 469. Part I.
Siilfern, Edward. 333, Part I.

George W.. 94, Part II.

.1. Bogert, portrait- of, 472, Part I.

.Tohn, 232. I'art I.

Thomas W.. 19, I'art II.
portrait of. 494. Part I.

Village of. 540, Part I.
Sullivan, Dr. .1. H., 191, Part 1.
Swift, Dr. George B., 213, Part I.

Talman, Elbert, 141, Part IT.
'I'allman, Dr., 212, Part I.

.Tames C, 543, Part I.
portrait of, 542, Part I.

Peter, 234, Part I.

Village of, 543, Part I.
Tappan Village. Map of, 168, Part I.
Tasman. Thomas .P, 59, I'art H.
Taylor. George O., 132, Part II.
■ Dr. Willi.^m S., 135, Part II.
TenEyck, Dr. C. H., 213, Part I.
Termansen. Lauritz. 130. Part II.
Tilton, Edgar, 60. Part II.
Themans, .\.. portrait of. 368. Part I.
Tomkins Family, 37, Part II.

Walter, 37, Part II.

Watson, 54, Part II.
Tomkins Cove, ^ illage of, 563, Part I.
Tompkins, Hon. A. S., 237, Part I.

INDEX.

Toms, Dr. S. W. Spencer, 216, Part I.,

and 99, Part II.
TorswoUl Farm, 125, Part II.
Tostevin, William L., 56, Part II.
Traphag-en, J. Irving', 149, Part II.
Travis, Clarence M., 62, Part II.
Treacy, .Tohn V., 134, Part II.
Trea.son House, View of, 104, Part I.
Troup, .Tohn, 67, Part II.
Tnttle, Dr., 199, Part I.

Upper Nyack, Village of, 463, Part I.

Vagts, W. F., 67, Part II.
Valley Cottage, Village of, 466, Part I.
VanAlstine, Philip, 24S, Part I.
VanP.uskirk, Charles C 85, Part II.
Vanderbilt, .Jacob E., Ill, Part II.
Van Hoiiten, Dr. H., 213, Part I.

Dr. N. B., 318, Part I., and 89, Part
II.

Peter, 87, Part II.
VanOrden, Elmer, 122, Part II.
VanPelt, William P., 123, Fi\rt II.
VanWagonen, Dr. D. B., 217, Part I.
VanWyck, .Tohn R., 87, Part II.
Verdiii, Florent, 26, Part II.

portrait of, 426, Part I.

.Toseph T., 27, Part II.
Viola, Village of, 550, Part I.
Vreeland, Dr. Isaac S., 219, Part I.

Wadsworth, Charles T., 159, Part II.
Wanamaker, Harry C, 121, Part I.
Wasliburn, Uriah F., 143, Part II.

portrait of, 562, Part I.
Washington Headquarters, Tappan,
View of, 92, Part I.

Weiant. George W., 236, Part I.

portrait of, 248, Part I.

Fred S., 256, Part I., and 178, Part
II.
Weimer, George, 124, Part II.
Wemple, Dr. D. F. 213, Part I.
Wesel, John N., 44, Par, II.
We.st Nyack, Village of, 434, Part I.
Wheeler, Hon. Alonzo, 190, Part II.

portrait of, 238, Part I.
Whipple, Dr. Charles, 207, Part I.
White Family, 145, Part II.

.Justin DuPratt, 247, Part I.
Whritenour, George E., 106, Part IT.
Widenmann, Rol)ert A., 91, I'art H.
Wigton, Dr. ,T. S., 200, Part I.
Wiles, Frederick J., 241, Part I.
Wilson, Capt. .Joel, 160, Part 11.

portrait of, 394, Part I.

Lavalette, portrait of, 334, Part I.
Wolfe, Robert, 39, Part II.
Wood, Dr. A. H., 198, Part I.

Horatio N., 3, Part II.
portrait of, 2S4, Part I.

.Tohn J., 234. Part I.

Dr. T. C. 321, Part I.

Dr. Zebadee, 198, Part I.
Writer, Dr. George S., 60, Part II.
Wyre, George A., 253, Part I.

Young, Alexander, 76, Part II.
Charles, 116, Part II.
William Dixon, 94, Part II.

Ziibriskie, Dr. A. S., 199, Part I.

Dr. Albert S., 216, Part I.
Zollner, Edward, 65, Part II.

HK227-78

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